NIA busts illegal labor brokerage ring in Taichung, 33 sent to prosecutors

Taichung, Oct. 4 (CNA) The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said Saturday it has dismantled an illegal labor brokerage ring that allegedly recruited runaway migrant workers and visa overstayers for day labor and skimmed their wages.

A total of 33 suspects, including brokers, employers and workers, have been sent to prosecutors for investigation.

The NIA's Taichung City Specialized Operation Brigade said in a news release that while investigating a brawl involving Indonesian nationals in the central city, officers uncovered links to illegal brokerage and hiring activities.

Following a series of investigations, the brigade found that a Taiwanese man surnamed Hung (洪), the head of a construction company, allegedly led the ring. Since 2024, Hung is suspected of recruiting absconded migrant workers and visa overstayers and brokering them into construction jobs such as cleaning, hauling and stone breaking.

Hung allegedly took a daily cut of NT$500-NT$1,100 (US$16.4 - US$32.8) from each worker. At its peak, the ring dispatched more than 50 workers, generating about NT$2 million in illicit gains over four months, according to the brigade.

Hung's Indonesian spouse, surnamed Hou (侯), allegedly helped recruit 27 Indonesian nationals and received NT$81,000 in commission, the brigade said.

In early May, NIA officers searched the company office in Taichung after obtaining a court warrant, seizing computers, mobile phones, contracts and ledgers as evidence, brigade deputy captain Tang Yu-tai (黨昱泰), told CNA in a phone interview.

Tang said 33 suspects, including two employers, four labor brokers, and 27 undocumented workers, were referred to the Taichung District Prosecutors Office in mid-May.

Asked why the case was made public more than four months later, Tang said the brigade could only release the information after receiving approval from prosecutors.

As of Sept. 18, the brigade has apprehended 245 illegal employers, 96 illegal brokers and 282 illegal workers this year. It pledged to continue cracking down on illegal brokerage rings.

Under Article 54 of the Employment Service Act, it is unlawful to refer foreign workers to third-party jobs without proper authorization, with violators facing fines of up to NT$500,000.

Article 64 states that offenders who profit from such activities may face up to three years in prison, detention with hard labor, and/or fines of up to NT$1.2 million.