"I know all of this, but what makes you so sure?"
"I’ve seen two of the ships myself, and Xiao Yu is currently keeping an eye on them."
Han Yu grinned, continuing, "My dad has also seen some of them, and even a month earlier than Xiao Yu and I did."
Political Commissioner Jiang pressed on: "So what if he saw them, can you confirm if there is a problem with the registered tonnage?"
"Actually, when my dad mentioned it to me a month ago, I found it very strange."
"What did your dad tell you?"
"There was a sea carrier that imported tens of thousands of tons of coal from overseas, and surprisingly, they chose to transfer it using a self-propelled ship like ours instead of hiring a dragon-boat or top-pushing fleet. I found it odd, so I asked around with Port Patrol Second Team. It turned out the ship owners reported very low freight charges, which made it even cheaper than hiring a fleet."
"How is that possible?"
"Yeah, how is that possible, there’s hardly any profit based on their quoted prices."
Han Yu paused and then added, "Later, we mobilized people, especially those working on ships, only then we found out many ships on the river were exploiting loopholes in loadline regulations. Recalling that Jiangcheng Branch had contacted the Port Authority due to lost iron ore, I decided to call Director Zhang to get the details.
Director Zhang had the comrades from the Criminal Investigation Team of his branch fax over the case materials. Little did we know, but after seeing the information, everything became clear, so I asked friends from Port Supervision Bureau to keep an eye on those twenty-six ships carrying iron ore. Surprisingly, some of them dared to come back, so sometimes solving a case really depends on timing."
"What conclusion did you come to?"
"I had Ningning check, and although those twenty-six ships are registered in various places, the ship owners and crew all hail from Yuanhuai County in Hui’an Province, and even from the same township, with most from the same village."
Political Commissioner Jiang interrogated further, "What does that mean?"
Han Yu glanced back at Comrade Jia Yongqiang and smiled: "The Water Police Station, while surveying the scavenger ships and the scrap purchasing points along its jurisdiction shores, came across a situation."
Not knowing about his subordinates’ findings, Political Commissioner Wang couldn’t help asking, "What situation?"
"Several owners of scavenger ships reported that suddenly, since last August, a few ’three-no boats’ from Hui’an started operating in our Binjiang Waters, Binjiang might just be a part of their active area. The leader was a woman in her thirties, named something Juan, who specifically searched for fellow townsmen along the river, mainly targeting the anchorage areas."
Han Yu took a piece of information from Jia Yongqiang and chuckled, "Some scrap purchasing stations’ owners within our jurisdiction also provided information that this woman named something Juan from Hui’an asked if they bought coal, iron ore, and even refined copper."
"Can we confirm this Juan’s real identity?"
"Uncle Jia, this is your branch’s finding, why don’t you report on it?"
Old Jia steadied himself and smiled, "It’s funny, on March 21 this year, the Water Police First Company, during a joint patrol and law enforcement with Port Supervision, checked their boat in an anchorage area six kilometers west of Gaoru Port. They had no documents whatsoever and were penalized on the spot. Our branch specifically penalized them for lacking seaman’s certificates."
Political Commissioner Wang asked anxiously, "Have you seen her, do you know her identity?"
"We have an inspection record, registered their IDs, all from Yuanhuai County."
Old Jia handed over a copy of the inspection record and added, "This Chen Xiaojuan is currently active in the Yingchuan Port anchorage. Xiao Yu has been watching her for two days. She isn’t alone; she has several accomplices. Squad leader Luo Wenjiang from the Water Police Fourth Squad, by tracking her accomplices, has followed the trail to two three-no boats they berthed in a Cha Port."
Han Yu looked up and said, "To ensure foolproof operations and considering our limited police force, I’ve also requested two criminal police from the Criminal Investigation Fourth Squad of Linghai Police Bureau to visit her hometown. With the assistance of colleagues from Hui’an, side investigations revealed that this gang, including those mentioned twenty-six ship owners and crew, made a fortune shipping over the past two years."
With the ongoing intensive crackdown, both Changhang Bureau and Water Police Station have enforcement tasks, and so does Linghai Police Bureau, with even greater responsibilities.
There was no need to ask. Salted Fish was helping his second senior brother fulfill the mission.
Thinking Salted Fish originally came from Linghai Police and that the branch was currently collaborating with Linghai Police in investigating a smuggling case, Political Commissioner Jiang wasn’t upset about another party joining but instead chuckled, "What are your plans for the investigation?"
"This gang has many members from the same area and are closely-knit relatives, in other words, very unified. To dismantle this gang, catching them red-handed is a must."
"Will they commit crimes again?"
"They definitely will; otherwise, they wouldn’t have come from upstream, nor would they risk the danger of being regulated by Port Supervision to bring the two three-no boats here. As long as we can capture them in the act, we break through."
Han Yu thought for a bit and then laughed, "Almost forgot, Jiangcheng Branch’s Criminal Investigation Team is also busy. They are currently visiting and inquiring at steel plants in and around Jiangcheng. More than two thousand tons of iron ore, only steel plants need it."
Political Commissioner Jiang whispered, "Large steel plants won’t accept ore of unknown origin, only small steel plants would dare. Even if we inquire, they might not admit it?"
"The ore can be identified, like its iron content, whether it’s from the same batch, or from the same place, it can definitely be identified."
"So, do we need to collaborate with Director Zhang?"
"Commissioner, cases on the river are different from those on land; the mobility of boats and people on the river is much too high."
"I was just suggesting, it’s good to collaborate with senior leaders," Political Commissioner Jiang smiled and then asked, "Investigating several cases at once, perhaps even needing to act simultaneously, do you have enough manpower?"
"We definitely don’t have enough. Political Commissioner Jiang, Political Commissioner Wang, if you two weren’t here tonight, Uncle Jia and I would have to report to you tomorrow. I’ve arranged all the necessary boats for the roundup, now what we need is manpower."
Changhang navigation police and Water Police specialize in investigating Changhang transport and water-related cases.
If these cases can be successfully solved, not only would they exceed the task quota, but they would also hold exceptional significance.
Political Commissioner Jiang became increasingly excited, standing up, "Don’t worry about manpower, I’ll go back and report to Director He immediately. Starting tomorrow, including the office police, all police officers in the branch must be on standby twenty-four hours a day, ready to participate in the roundup at any moment."
Political Commissioner Wang patted Han Yu on the arm, "Same with the Water Police Station."
Thinking about the leaders of the Port Authority and the Port Authority’s security watching the branch’s fiasco, Political Commissioner Jiang said meaningfully, "Don’t make too big a scene when rounding up, those criminals should be brought directly back to Bailong Port after being captured, the passenger terminal has plenty of space."
Political Commissioner Wang, who also disliked the Port Authority’s security early on, smiled and added, "First interrogate at Bailong Port, once about done hand them over to the custody of Linghai Police Bureau; I’ll inform Director Zhou about this."