Officials in an unnamed African country sent five men from Zhejiang Province back to China yesterday after they spent several months in jail for breaking immigration laws. The men arrived at Pudong International Airport yesterday.

The young men, who are all in their early 20s, say they met a snakehead who said he could sneak them into Paris. After getting them legal visas to enter the African country, he escorted them on a flight from Wenzhou last December. Police said each of the men paid more than 100,000 yuan (US$12,048) to the snakehead.

They had planned to sneak into Paris during a short layover in the city, but strict immigration supervision at the airport ended their plan.

The group had to carry on with their flight, finally arriving in the African country. The men said the snakeheads told them they had arrived in another European city, where they could earn lots of money.

The youngsters believed the lies and called their homes in China to tell relatives to transfer the snakeheads' commission to the proper bank account. The snakeheads then abandoned the young men.

The five men were soon discovered by local authorities and detained for half a year for violating immigration laws before being repatriated.

(Shanghai Daily May 27, 2005)