Vietnam jails 4 people over migrant truck tragedy
HANOI: A court has jailed four people for trafficking several Vietnamese to the United Kingdom (UK), who died in a refrigerated truck tragedy last year.
The court in Ha Tinh sentenced Nguyen Quoc Thanh, 26, to seven years and six months in prison, Tran Dinh Truong, 35, five years, Nguyen Thi Thuy Hoa, 36, six years, and Nguyen Xuan Trieu, 24, two years and six months.
Three other defendants, Le Van Hue, 53, and Vo Van Ky, 52, received 18 months suspended jail sentence each, and Vo Van Ho, 62, a one-year suspended jail sentence, the VnExpress news portal reported.
It said all were found guilty of “organising and brokering illegal emigration”.
Thanh’s sister, Nguyen Thi Thuy Diem, is a resident in China and is wanted by the authorities.
According to the facts, Truong worked with Hoa and Thanh to sneak Pham Thi Tra My into the UK to work.
She was first brought to China before being sent to France. By then, My had paid the ring US$22,000.
My was brought to the UK in a refrigerated truck along with 38 other Vietnamese citizens.
They froze to death in the truck and their bodies were discovered near Essex in southeast England, on Oct 23 last year.
Seven people involved in the trafficking were arrested by Ha Tinh police in February.
Between March and May last year, Trieu had used his contacts to assist people to go to Europe and earned US$1,000.
He was exposed when some individuals were deported to Vietnam for carrying fake passports.
Hoa had brokered a Europe trip for 16 people and earned US$3,000 while Truong had helped three others and got paid US$1,500.
Ky and Ho both arranged for three people to get to Europe for US$1,200, Hue helped three others for US$1,500. Trieu helped bring six others to Europe and made US$1,000.
With Diem still at large, her brother, Thanh, was identified as one of the kingpins who helped 71 people to enter Europe illegally.