Here in the Atlanta District, this trend was recently evidenced by the arrast of four Nigerian heroia traffickers at the Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport within a three week period in May and June 1989. All four of these individuals wers harɔin "swallowers": ie they packaged the heroin in balloons or condoms and than secured the end with dental floss and supergiue before swallowing. The record for this internal concealment method is 1432 grams (227 packages) and is held by a Nigerian arrested at JFK. The individuals arrested in Atlanta this year had swallowed an average of about 100 packages.

Another worrisome trand was also evidenced by the recent Atlanta arrests. Of the four Nigerian individuals, two (2) ware resident aliens (I-551's) and two (2) held work authorization cards (1-688A's). This corresponds to an ONDC? report datad 6/13/89 which states that "Nigerian LPRS may be traveling to Nigeria to carry the drugs back to the United States"." A icrge percentage of the Nigerian LPRs encouncared by this office after conviction for CIT's (a: cradic cari fraud hara also Seen shown acze craveled to Nigeria frequently (3-4)

tizes jaar).

Re trand ia using Nigerians who are U.S. resident aliens to traffic heroin is primarily due to the increasing difficulty in obtaining U.S. jas. .3. Embassy officials in Lagos, Nigeria advise that approximately 80%90% of Nigerian visa applicants ara rajected due to fraud. A fraudulent U.S. vija can be obtained ac Oluwole/Cshofin, a sprawling slum in the heart of Lagos, but can cost over Ni5,000.00 (approximately $2,000.00 U.S.).

The factors contributing to the growth of the Nigerian Heroin trafficking organizations are primarily economic. Nigeria is the most populous nation in Africa and has been suffering huge losses in revenue due to the worldwide drop in oil prices several years ago. As an illustration of the severity of this crisis, the Nigerian government closed the Nigerian consulate in Atlanta this spring. A consular officer stated this was due to financial difficulties and that all consulates would be closed except for New York and the Embassy in Washington. Furthermore, a Nigerian can make the equivalent of ten years annual salary in one heroin smuggling trip to the U.S. Added to this is the fact that Nigerians are told that there is little or no chance of being detected with the use of the ingesting (swallowing) techniques. Furthermore travel to the U.S. from Nigeria is facilitated by the Nigerian government, which subsidizes air travel. A Nigerian can travel to the U.S. from Nigeria for about $400.00 as opposed to a fare of $3,000.00 if purchased in the U.S.

Couriers are recruited

It is difficult to profile the Nigerian drug trafficker. from all social levels in Nigeria. Childran as young as ten years old, as well as pregnant women have been used to smuggie heroin. In 1987, Captain John Billy EKO, a former top pilot of Nigeria Airways, was arrested for smuggling cocaine at JFK and was sentenced to seven years confinement.3 In April of this year, a former senator from Nigeria, Ademola ADEGOKE was also arrested at JfK with luggage containing 5,300 kilos of heroin valued at $2,000,000.00.3 It is easy to

see that drug trafficking permeates every echelon of Nigerian society.

INSURANCE SCAMS

Of ail the fraud being conducted by Nigerians in the Atlanta District, the area of insurance fraud seems to be the fastest growing. Our office has been besieged with requests for help from numerous insurance companies looking for quick solutions to the huge economic losses they are suffering due to the fraud activities of the Nigerian community. The prevalent insurance fraud activities are property damage (vehicular), bodily injury, home-owner theft, business the::, and life insurance. Insurance industry investigators in the Atlanta area clafz the fraudulent clains being filed can be attributed to

that as much as 50% of Nigerians.

In one local scenario, an insurance company has identified a "property damage ring" involving a number of Nigerians. Beginning in 1987, this Atlanta insure: paid out 30 claims Co 170 Nigerian individuals, with an average pay out of $3,000.00 per claim. Of course, these individuals went through numerous identity changes in an attempt to evade detection. These individuals would stage numerous accidents with the same vehicle and file claims on the same insurance company. often reporting cha sama damage. The Nigerians are so adapt at insurance fraud that they often are familiar with the companies enough tɔ know which companies do not have a iccal fraud favestigator. They then prey upon those that don't, and are often given a check on the spot at the drive-up clain windows.

In a vacation of the property damage scams, Nigerians often purchase an expensive car (ie- BM) and insure the vehicle with numerous agencies. Thes then stage an accident, often with the help of Nigerian accomplices in another. vehicle, and then file claims with all the companies. Many companies pay of! such claims immediately, with average settlements around $3,000.00. It is easy to see how quickly a sum of $15,000.00+ can be made in one day in this manner. Another popular fraud involves feigning bodily injury after an automobile accident is staged. Nigerians will load up 3-4 people in one car and drive down the interstate, according to a local insurance investigator. The driver will get in front of an unsuspecting motorist and then slam-on the brakes, causing a collision. These individuals have по concern for the safety of the other motorist nor the extent of damage that results. All of the Nigerians will then claim bodily injuries and will file against their own insurer as well as against the victim motorist's insurer. This is because Georgia is a no-faul: state in which the insured's Own carrier pays for injuries. The average pay-off is $7,500.00 per person, or $30,000.00 per accident. The claims are most often handled by mail, which makes detection of fraud difficult. The Nigerian usually takes the policy out under an alias, which he license (fraudulently obtained). The accident policy goes to the underwriter for clearance.

substantiates with a driver's normally takes place before the

fraud

Another popular and very lucrative insurance involves life insurance policies. Recently a Nigerian tourist came to the Atlanta area to visit his wife, who resides here. While here, he took out a $200,000.00 life insurance policy. He then allegedly went back to Nigeria and died shortly thereafter. His widow then filed for her claim, and as proof of his death, she submitted a photocopy of her husband's Nigerian death certificate (without official seal) and a photo of the deceased laying in a casket. Obviously, the potential for fraud of this nature is great, siace any documentation originating in Nigeria is

suspect.

Other frauds include home-owners insurance and business theft insurance. Some Nigerian business owners, according со опе insurance company, have beer. found submitting fraudulent stock invoices following an alleged burglary. Home burglaries are also staged, with large quantities of jewelry, audio equipment, ecc. being reportedly stolen.

Unfortunately, most insurance fraud is not reported to law enforcement officials. Most insurance companies pay-off the claims and count then as business losses. One insurance company puts their losses ac $3,000,000.00/year nationwide in these types of frauds, and adds that this is just the "tip of the iceberg". Due to the lack of criminal prosecucion for insurance fraud, many Nigerian L?R's find this to be easy and risk-free money. In addition, many Nigerian status-violators (32's, F-l's) are able to conduct these frauds without the risk of being jailed by Immigravian authorities, since District or Regional policy is to detain only

aliens convicted of crimes.

There have been several instances in the Atlanta District where such aliens have been repeatedly arrested and released due to lack of a criminal conviction. These aliens subsequently go back into the community and continue to file fraudulent insurance claims to support themselves. The only lesson they learn is that insurance fraud is a very easy, lucrative business and that there is no effective system in place to deal with such violations. They also discover that as long as they avoid being convicted, the Immigration and Naturalization Service will be very limited in its ability to act effectively against them.

ADMINISTRATIVE VIOLATIONS

In addition to the

aforementioned criminal activities, many Nigerian nationals also are found to be in violation of the administrative codes and regulations of the United States. This is especially true when speaking of immigration violations, since many Nigerians come to the United States not for legitimate pursuits but instead собе here to pursue less than legal activities. The following is a breakdown of the most often encountered administrative violations as experienced in the Atlanta District. These figures are compiled from data relating to arrests made by the Nigerian Task Force of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Atlanta, Georgia since April 1989.

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OVERSTAYS

An "overstay" is what immigration officers commonly call an individual who is legally admitted intɔ the United States but who ther remains in the country longer than he is permitted. Examples are visitors for pleasure (3-2's), who are generally admitted for a period of six months and visitors for business (3-1's) who are admitted for up to one year. Of the 42 Nigerians arrested in Atlanta since April 1989, 25 (39%) are classified as being overstays. overstayed varies greatly, but is generally over one year.

The amount of time

Of these overstays, three individuals had been able to obtain a visitors visa and re-enter the country even though they had been previously deported from the C.S. They accomplished this by first obtaining a new Nigerian passport under a different name an easy task by all accounts. The Nigerian goverment reported to U.S. authorities that over 50,000 blank Nigerian passports have been stole:

since 1980.

Embassy 1: enters the

With sex passports,

thase individuals C32 then 30 =5 the .S. Lagos cad obcat a dos visa. Ca some occasions, a Majordan .S. using a passport and visa belonging to another gardan. The passport is altered prior to arriving in the U.S. by asking a photo subst The individual then claims the identity on the passport.

STUDENTS OUT OF STATUS

fails to comply

An out of status student is simply a foreign student (F-1) who with the regulations necessary to maintain their status. This is most often a student who quits school and then remains in the United States, or a student who has already graduated from school and fails to depart the country. Of the Nigerians arrested in the above mentioned operation, 31% were classified as being out of status students. Some of these individuals had actually never attended any college or approved school. Most had attended for a while and then dropped out. Many of these claimed financial difficulties kept them from graduating. is, however, incumbent upon all foreign students to prove financial solvency prior to coming to study in the U.S. and financial hardship is not a defense against this administrative charge.

It

To eater the U.S., many Nigerian students obtain fraudulent immigration forms such as the I-20, which indicates the foreign student has been accepted at a U.S. college or university. The cost for such forms is usually between 100-200 U.S. dollars. These forms are either counterfeited, obtained from unscrupulous collage administrators or from other Nigerians. After obtaining the I-20, the Nigerian takes the document to the US Embassy in Nigeria and is usually giver a visa to enter the U.S.

SPECIAL AGRICULTURAL WORKER PROGRAM FRAUD

In 1986, the Congress passed the Immigration Reform and Control Act in an attempt co address and alleviate the problems associated with an enormous and everincreasing illegal alien population within the U.S. As part of the solution, the Congress passed the Special Agricultural Worker Program (SAW), which made it possible for many illegal aliens who had worked in certain agricultural jobs to become legal residents of the U.S. through a gradual process. This process included the presentation by the alien of proof that he/she had performed such agricultural work (such as picking crops) in the form of documentation.

This documentation usually consists of a notarized letter from a farmer stating that the alien performed such work on his fara during a specified cime perice. As has been encountered in other areas of fraud, Nigerians have shown themselves to be experts in counterfeiting and otherwise procuring fraudulent documents. The area of SAW fraud seems to be no exception.

During the operation of the Nigerian Task. Force, a SAN fraud ring involving Wes: Africans was discovered in the Atlanta District. Three Liberian females were Acasted on saparica occasions, all in the possession of SA cards (2-688A's). All three gave statements that they had obtained the cards fraudulently. One of the females is currently being charged criminally and has given statements to the effect that there are a lot of people who obtained similar documentation through a Liberian national in the Atlanta area.

CRIMES INVOLVING MORAL TURPITUDE (CIMT)

If an alien is convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude (ie: theft, murder, forgery, etc), he/she is subject to separate administrative violations in addition to any criminal penalties. For example, a lawful permanent resident alien who is convicted of a CIMT can be charged administratively and deported from the U.S., depending on the circumstances.

Of the Nigerians included in this report, over 60% had been convicted of CIMT's or were convicted subsequent to their arrest by this office.

Of those, a

zajority had multiple convictions. Some of those arrested are in custody and ara pending trial. Of course, a large number of Nigerians in this study have been implicated in crimes but never stood trial due to a lack of evidence in their cases. On occasion, prosecution is declined because local, state, or federal prosecutors opt for deportation of the alien from the U.S. instead of criminal conviction.

The reason for this undesirable situation can be attributed to the overburdened criminal justice system in the U.S. Until this problem is addressed, Nigerians and other aliens can come to this country and perpetrate crimes with little risk of serving time in the country's penal institutions. When they are caught, they are merely deported and can be back in business within weeks.

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