A gang caught trying to smuggle 69 mainlanders into Australia aboard a container boat was taking instructions from a 'boss' in Hong Kong, it has been revealed.
The mainlanders were hidden in 'sickening' conditions in a secret compartment below decks aboard the vessel Ka Yuen near Sydney, a Sydney magistrate's court has been told.
Officials described it as the most sophisticated human smuggling attempt they had seen.
The SAR is emerging as a pivotal location in the ring's operation. It was uncovered after nautical charts and plans were found during a search of five Chinese arrested at Sydney airport on a flight from Hong Kong last month.
The illegal immigrants were believed to have come from Fujian province, where 'snakeheads' organising the smuggling ring are promising jobs at the Sydney Olympics and an amnesty.
The Ka Yuen sailed from the Fujian capital Fuzhou and arrived in Hong Kong on April 1. It departed two days later, reporting its destination as the Taiwanese port of Keelung, the Marine Department said.
Australian authorities said yesterday they did not yet know whether the boat people were aboard the vessel when it docked in Hong Kong.
