Taipei - Taiwan's immigration police said Thursday they had cracked a human trafficking ring which had sent at least 40 Chinese minors to the United States in the past eight months.

"The crime ring has allegedly trafficked more than 40 mainland [Chinese] children to the US in the past eight months, using the passports of indigenous children in eastern Taiwan," said Chen Chien-cheng, an immigration police spokesman.

Chen said the major suspect, identified by his last name Teng, asked for 60,000 US dollars from Chinese parents who wanted to send their children to the US.

He tricked indigenous people in eastern Taiwan into believing he would help their children gain government subsidies and obtained the children's identification and other papers, which he used to apply for Taiwan passports and US visas.

Taiwanese traffickers then went to Hong Kong, from where they escorted the Chinese children to the United States in the name of their guardians, Chen said.

Chen said two other suspects from Taiwan and one from China were implicated in the trafficking.

Prosecutors would also question 70 indigenous parents and escorts over their roles in the case, he added. (dpa)