TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The head of a dental clinic helped more than 600 Chinese enter Taiwan illegally for tourism, work, and prostitution, reports said Wednesday.

The Taipei District Prosecutors Office conducted raids and questioned 10 defendants, including dentists and travel agency employees, per CNA. The mastermind behind the scheme was believed to be a woman surnamed Pan (潘), who managed a dental clinic in Taipei.

From December 2022 to May 2023, when travel between Taiwan and China was restricted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Pan helped the Chinese enter the country illegally, investigators said. Her clinic participated in a Ministry of Health and Welfare program to promote international healthcare.

Pan and another dentist at her clinic designed fictitious dental care programs and enlisted two managers at a travel agency to bring in the 600 Chinese, supposedly to treat their teeth. In reality, the Chinese traveled around Taiwan, looked for work, or engaged in prostitution, according to prosecutors.

The case came to light as the authorities stepped up campaigns against Chinese spy rings and against Taiwanese illegally holding Chinese residency documents.