The 'mother of all snakeheads' must face justice in the US
Alleged people-smuggling ringleader 'Big Sister' Ping will be extradited to the United States to face trial over the notorious 1993 Golden Venture tragedy after losing a three-year legal battle to stay in Hong Kong.
Cheng Chui-ping had exhausted all legal avenues and would be surrendered to US officials within days, the Department of Justice confirmed yesterday.
The 53-year-old, dubbed by FBI officers 'the mother of all snakeheads', is accused of masterminding the smuggling to North America of 300 Chinese illegal immigrants aboard the cargo ship Golden Venture. Ten drowned when it ran aground off New York.
US prosecutors allege Cheng, a Hong Kong passport-holder, is the head of a global crime network. She will stand trial in a federal court on charges including kidnapping, extortion and illegal money transfer.
Deputy principal government counsel Wayne Walsh said the Court of Final Appeal dismissed Cheng's application for leave to appeal on Friday - 10 years to the day after the Golden Venture ran aground - bringing to an end the longest-running extradition case since the handover.