Business facing penalty following arrest of Chinese nationals

It follows the arrest of two Chinese nationals at Chen Chen Chef Chinese takeaway on Victoria Road on Friday June 12.

A 40-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man found working illegally in the takeaway’s kitchen were detained.

Two other Northern Ireland businesses are also facing potential penalties following the operation, which saw two Chinese men were arrested in Crumlin and a Bangladeshi man in Belfast.

Acting on intelligence, officers visited the premises and questioned staff to check if they had the right to be and work in the UK.

All those arrested were in the country illegally and are currently in detention while steps are taken to remove them from the country, according to the Home Office.

The businesses were each served with a notice warning that a civil penalty of up to £20,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out such as seeing a passport or official Home Office document.

This is a potential total of £100,000 across the three.

Deputy Director Mike Golden, from the Home Office’s Northern Ireland Immigration Enforcement Team, said:

“These arrests are a clear warning to those in Northern Ireland abusing our immigration laws. There will be no slowdown in our efforts to arrest, detain and remove you from the UK.

“Employers who use illegal labour are defrauding the taxpayer, undercutting genuine employers and denying legitimate job hunters work.

“Information from the public can be a huge help in our work and I would urge members of the public with information about suspected immigration abuse to get in touch.”

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact https://www.gov.uk/report-immigration-crime or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.