(ABC 6 News) — Three Americans who had been detained in China for years are now on their way home. The White House said Mark Swidan, Kai Li, and John Leung are now free thanks to a prisoner swap after being detained for various crimes such as spying and espionage.

The three are Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung, all of whom had been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained.

Three Americans were safely in U.S. custody after a rare prisoner swap between the U.S. and China. An American official said the U.S. turned over two Chinese nationals in return for the release of the detained Americans.