Essex lorry deaths: People smuggling kingpin still at large as gang members are jailed

The people smuggling kingpin behind the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants, remains at large, a judge has said, as police warned traffickers who trade in human misery “we will find you and we will stop you”.

Four men were jailed at the Old Bailey on Friday for between 13-years and four months and 27-years after being convicted of the manslaughter of the migrants who suffocated in the back of a lorry in October 2019.

But the judge in the case, Mr Justice Sweeney, said there was a mysterious Vietnamese mastermind by the name of Phong, who was at the very top of the conspiracy.

Phong, who emerged as the mystery kingpin during the trial, took payments and organised safehouses across Europe for desperate migrants on their way to the UK.

He is thought to have been operating out of a flat in south London and is still at large despite a major manhunt to track him down.

The victims, Vietnamese men, women and children, had hoped for a better life in Britain when they agreed to pay up to £13,000 a head for a "VIP" smuggling service.

On October 22 2019, they were crammed into a lorry container to be shipped from Zeebrugge to Purfleet in Essex in pitch black and sweltering conditions.

But unable to raise the alarm they ran out of air before reaching British shores and suffered “excruciating deaths from asphyxia, carbon dioxide, poisoning” the judge said.

The migrants, two aged just 15, were found dead by lorry driver Maurice Robinson who collected the trailer from the docks when it landed in the UK.

Robinson, 26, was yesterday jailed for 13-years and four months, while his boss, Ronan Hughes, 41, was given 20-years.

Driver Eamonn Harrison, 24, who collected the migrants on the continent got 18-years, while ringleader Gheorghe Nica, 43, was jailed for 27-years.

But Mr Justice Sweeney accepted that Phong was the person at the very top of the conspiracy.

During the trial it emerged that the gang, who had been smuggling groups of migrants regularly, knew there was only enough air in the trailer for around 20 people to survive the journey.

But they decided to risk a bigger shipment because one of their previous attempts had failed and they wanted to maximise profits.

Speaking outside the Old Bailey DCI Daniel Stoten, who led the Essex police investigation, condemned the “utter greed” of the gang.

He said: “The criminals in this case made their money from misery. They knew what they were doing was dangerous but they did it anyway.

“They treated them as commodities and they transported them in ways we would not transport animals.”

He added: “May this serve as a warning to those who think it’s okay to prey on the vulnerabilities of migrants and their families, transporting them in a way worse than we would transport animals. My message to you is that we will find you and we will stop you.”

Chief Constable of Essex Police, BJ Harrington said: “Every person in that trailer had left behind a family. They had been promised safe passage to our shores and they were lied to. They were left to die, all because of the greed of the men who have been sentenced.”

Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, added: “The inhumanity of these callous people smugglers and their dangerous organised criminal networks has rightly been reflected in the sentencing.”

The families of the victims in Vietnam and Britain have spoken of their loss and hardship.

Phan Thi Thanh, 41, had sold the family home and left her son with his godmother before setting off on the ill-fated journey.

Her "heartbroken" son said: "I heard about the incident from mass media so I called dad in the UK in order to confirm if mum was a victim.

"I was very shocked, very sad and I was crying a lot."

Tran Hai Loc and his wife Nguyen Thi Van, both 35, who were found huddled together in death, left two children aged six and four.

The children's grandfather Tran Dinh Thanh said: "Everyday, when they come home from school they always look at the photos of their parents on the altar.

"The decease of both parents is a big loss to them."

Fifteen-year-old Nguyen Huy Hung's UK-based father Nguyen Huy Tung, learned about his death on social media.

He said: "We were very shocked, trembled, we lost track and awareness of our surroundings.

"My wife had fainted many times whenever our son's name was mentioned."

- The 39 victims were:

Dinh Dinh Binh, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Huy Phong, Le Van Ha, Nguyen Van Hiep, Bui Phan Thang, Nguyen Van Hung, Nguyen Huy Hung, Nguyen Tien Dung, Pham Thi Tra My, Tran Khanh Tho, Nguyen Van Nhan, Vo Ngoc Nam, Vo Van Linh, Nguyen Ba Vu Hung, Vo Nhan Du, Tran Hai Loc, Tran Manh Hung, Nguyen Thi Van, Bui Thi Nhung, Hoang Van Tiep, Tran Thi Ngoc, Phan Thi Thanh, Tran Thi Tho, Duong Minh Tuan, Pham Thi Ngoc Oanh, Tran Thi Mai Nhung, Le Trong Thanh, Nguyen Ngoc Ha, Hoang Van Hoi, Tran Ngoc Hieu, Cao Tien Dung, Dinh Dinh Thai Quyen, Dang Huu Tuyen, Nguyen Dinh Luong , Cao Huy Thanh, Nguyen Trong Thai, Nguyen Tho Tuan and Nguyen Dinh Tu.