Our reporter Mu Yi - Mr. Xu was arranged by a "snakehead" to work illegally in Europe. He was caught by the local police for stealing a pair of socks, which exposed his illegal worker status. After serving a three-month sentence in Europe, he was deported back to China yesterday. "Just because I stole a pair of socks, my illegal status was exposed, it's not worth it at all. Otherwise, I could have continued working illegally and made more money," said Mr. Xu, who had just been deported back from a European country, while being questioned at the Beijing Border Inspection Station Repatriation Office. In February 2003, under the organization of a "snakehead", he smuggled himself to Europe by boat for a fee of 120,000 yuan. Since then, he started working illegally abroad.
Since he had no special skills, Mr. Xu initially could only take temporary jobs at small Chinese restaurants or construction sites to make ends meet. In 2005, his wife also arrived in Europe in the same way. To quickly pay off the high-interest loans they borrowed when leaving the country, the couple worked hard day and night. However, last year Mr. Xu developed a gambling habit and spent all his time in the casino. Over time, the little savings they had were lost by him, leading to frequent quarrels between them, and their life began to become difficult.
One day three months ago, Mr. Xu's wife asked him to buy a pair of socks at a nearby supermarket. But instead of going to the checkout counter, Mr. Xu chose the no-purchase passage. When Mr. Xu passed through the channel, the alarm went off, and the supermarket security immediately stopped him. Before Mr. Xu could explain, he was taken to the manager's office. As his documents were confiscated by the "snakehead" during the smuggling process, Mr. Xu could not prove his identity. Soon after, the patrolling police arrived, handcuffed him, and sent him to the detention center. A few days later, the local prosecutor charged Mr. Xu with illegal stay and theft, bringing him to court. Eventually, Mr. Xu was sentenced to three months in prison. After serving his sentence, Mr. Xu was deported back to China yesterday.
Mr. Xu told reporters that in a few days, his wife would also be deported back to China. The couple will bid farewell to their years of "illegal" status abroad and start a new life back home.
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