Reinvestigating The Golden Venture
By Mike Groves
The suspected gangster behind the operation from the US side was Ah Kay. Described as a ruthless and cold-blooded gangster, he was known to have killed and tortured countless people throughout his pathetic excuse for a life / career. Like Sister Ping, Ah Kay was later arrested in Hong Kong and sent to the US for trial however because he cooperated with the government, quite remarkably he received a light sentence and was later granted citizenship. Many believe the US government should not have granted Ah Kay freedom.
The Golden Venture was a 230 ft long coastal freighter of Honduran registry and her homeport, indicated on the stern, was that of San Lorenzo. In addition her international call sign was HQVX-3; should any of you mariners out there ever recall hearing such a call sign during your travels. She was later sunk off the coast of Florida by the US government, eventually finding peace as an artificial reef.
Definitions –
Human Trafficking - Human trafficking generally involves some form of deception or exploitation, where an individual is misled about where she is going or what she will be doing when she gets there and is often pushed into sex work or forced labor.
Human Smuggling, as in the case of the Golden Venture is a risky and often extremely dangerous undertaking, often requiring those migrants to take on enormous debts to make the journey and then spend years working as indentured servants, turning over their earnings to those who fixed their passage.
About The Author:
Mike Groves is a fomer Carnival Corp Security Officer, and since September 1, 2009 has been contributing as the Safety And Security Advisor for Cruise Bruise.
