UK - 39 bodies found in lorry, Essex, 23 October 2019

[Ched]

Essex lorry latest: Top security boss warned of Zeebrugge crossing risks two years ago

 

[Ched]

Back in Vietnam, I thought Europe was pink. But it turns out it’s black
Family of 'youngest Essex lorry victim', 19, sob 'who could do this?'


A human rights group source said: “Tra My was using the ‘Very Important Service’ — like a business class ticket on the lorry.

“She had to pay double or three times the price of the cheap ticket.”

 

[Ched]

From bubble tea to disaster: How one Vietnamese dreamer apparently met her fate
Being grown up means having to hide your sadness in the dark, and keeping a smile on your face,” Nhung wrote in an Oct. 21 Facebook post, days before her family lost contact with her and the news of the doomed shipping container emerged.

 

[CSIDreamer]

This is a pay site with a free trial. I somehow read it last night. Even the first few paragraphs are revealing.

Lorry deaths: Smuggling is so rife there’s a migrant minibus service, say Purfleet residents | News | The Times https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...ibus-service-say-purfleet-residents-5h5rr6q5l

 

[alice500]

<modsnip: quoted post was removed>

Essex migrant deaths: Three Irish people released on bail

"Senior MPs and experts warned last night the United Kingdom faces exclusion from Europe’s anti-trafficking unit after Brexit."

 

[CSIDreamer]

So far 24 families in Nghe An and Ha Tinh provinces have filed requests to the authorities asking them to help look for their missing relatives, feared dead in the #Essex #lorry incident, VnExpress reports. #Vietnamese police have begun taking DNA samples for #identification.

View attachment 211573

Nga Pham on Twitter

UPDATE: A reliable source told me the police in Ha Tinh has opened a special criminal case to investigate all the claims they’ve received, as well as allegations of human trafficking operations in/from the province #lorrydeaths #Essex

Nga Pham on Twitter

That's a *potential* 61% ID rate on the bodies of the victims. Holding out hope this resolves with 100% ID so these victims can be returned to their families and/or homeland.

There's a part of me that hopes these leads pan out on the victims. Otherwise, where are they?

 

[HayLouise]

Police officers travelling to Dublin hope the man arrested by gardaí will voluntarily speak with them. It is understood gardaí have consented to allowing Essex Police an opportunity to speak with the man on a voluntary basis.

The UK officers will have no powers of arrest and will be accompanied by a garda during any interview sessions as per normal police co-operation protocol, a source said.

It is not know when they will seek to speak to the man but sources said it could occur as early as Sunday.

An Essex Police spokesman declined to confirm the move. “We are in liaison with the Garda police in relation to an arrest they have made yesterday at Dublin Port. At this point he is only being processed by the Garda in relation to unconnected offences to the Essex Police investigation.”

A Garda spokesman declined to comment, directing questions to Essex Police. “An Garda Síochána continue to assist Essex Police,” he said.

The UK would need to seek a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) if it wishes to bring the man back to the UK to face charges.

If Brexit occurs on October 31st, it will no longer be able to seek an EAW and will have to go through a more complex and drawn-out extradition process.

Essex migrant deaths: UK police set to interview suspect in Dublin

 

[HayLouise]

Senior MPs and experts warned last night the United Kingdom faces exclusion from Europe’s anti-trafficking unit after Brexit.

This unit is co-ordinating international investigations alongside the one being carried out by Essex police into the deaths of the 39 Grays deaths.

The anti-trafficking unit involved in the case, the European Migrant Smuggling Centre, is part of the EU’s law-enforcement agency, Europol, and has been at the heart of a global inquiry into the tragedy. A Europol source said investigators at the centre were “working around the clock trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle”.

The unit is regarded as the most sophisticated organisation of its kind in Europe, with an ability to track cross-border crime and a huge database of smuggling networks.

Essex migrant deaths: UK police set to interview suspect in Dublin

 

[CSIDreamer]

Police officers travelling to Dublin hope the man arrested by gardaí will voluntarily speak with them. It is understood gardaí have consented to allowing Essex Police an opportunity to speak with the man on a voluntary basis.

The UK officers will have no powers of arrest and will be accompanied by a garda during any interview sessions as per normal police co-operation protocol, a source said.

It is not know when they will seek to speak to the man but sources said it could occur as early as Sunday.

An Essex Police spokesman declined to confirm the move. “We are in liaison with the Garda police in relation to an arrest they have made yesterday at Dublin Port. At this point he is only being processed by the Garda in relation to unconnected offences to the Essex Police investigation.”

A Garda spokesman declined to comment, directing questions to Essex Police. “An Garda Síochána continue to assist Essex Police,” he said.

The UK would need to seek a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) if it wishes to bring the man back to the UK to face charges.

If Brexit occurs on October 31st, it will no longer be able to seek an EAW and will have to go through a more complex and drawn-out extradition process.

Essex migrant deaths: UK police set to interview suspect in Dublin

Well I hope if they feel they have enough to extradite him, they expedite the whole thing.

 

[Thelastleg]

Senior MPs and experts warned last night the United Kingdom faces exclusion from Europe’s anti-trafficking unit after Brexit.

This unit is co-ordinating international investigations alongside the one being carried out by Essex police into the deaths of the 39 Grays deaths.

The anti-trafficking unit involved in the case, the European Migrant Smuggling Centre, is part of the EU’s law-enforcement agency, Europol, and has been at the heart of a global inquiry into the tragedy. A Europol source said investigators at the centre were “working around the clock trying to put together the pieces of the puzzle”.

The unit is regarded as the most sophisticated organisation of its kind in Europe, with an ability to track cross-border crime and a huge database of smuggling networks.

Essex migrant deaths: UK police set to interview suspect in Dublin

If this unit is so sophisticated they don't appear to be doing a good job.

 

[Ched]

But his father claims he received a call several days ago from a Vietnamese man saying: "'Please have some sympathy, something unexpected happened'."
'Youngest' Essex lorry death victim paid £8,000 for new life working in nail bar

 

[Bampot]

2000 Dover incident - Wikipedia

The driver of the lorry was Perry Wacker, 33, of Rotterdam. Wacker was arrested at the scene and, in 2001, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter[5] for his part in an organised people smuggling operation, coordinated by a Chinese snakehead gang. He was also found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants. In 2003, nine Chinese gang members were jailed in the Netherlands for their part in the tragedy.[6][1][5][7][8][9][10]

I've been looking at the Dover case. Just noticed there was years inbetween the driver and the Chinese gang members being jailed. So this case, as expected, may be a very long investigation.

 

[Ched]

Essex lorry migrants may have been smuggled by vicious 'snakehead' gangs

 

[CSIDreamer]

Essex lorry migrants may have been smuggled by vicious 'snakehead' gangs

I wonder if an Irish trafficking ring would cooperate with a snakehead gang?

Opinions?

This does keep coming up.

 

[Marysmith]

Well. Googling smuggling in NI brings up a lot of hits. Including the man who died in 2016 along the same route that was mentioned by EP in the identification conference.

I do wonder though they can't have used this particular trailer before because it would have happened before. Unless it was because there were so many of them, causing the oxygen to run out quicker (l realise l am assuming suffocation as COD).

The only good thing about this is MR didn't shut the doors, put the refrigeration on and find somewhere to dump them. I mean, he could have taken them back to Ireland, got all the arrangements sorted on the way and into a bog they went. Their families may never have known. But how many times has this scenario really played out that we are unaware of?

I bet some of MR’s co-conspirators wish he had... JMO
ETA - this is a brutal thing to write or even think but this is a vicious circle of crime...

 

[Bluetooth]

Apparently MO, the driver is going to appear in court tomorrow. Will be interesting to see if he pleads guilty to any of the charges.

 

[Mrs Marple]

I wonder if an Irish trafficking ring would cooperate with a snakehead gang?

Opinions?

This does keep coming up.

I think it's unlikely. The media have honed in on the snake head thing because of the identities of the victims being incorrectly stated as Chinese, imho.

However, with payments made at each stage, this is a large complex network. It almost seems that there is a different person at each 'stage', who can charge what they like for helping them to move on. All with multiple burner phones and fake IDs, they might be nigh on impossible to trace without someone pointing the finger.

 

[Mo Thuairim]

I wonder if an Irish trafficking ring would cooperate with a snakehead gang?

Opinions?

This does keep coming up.

It wouldn't surprise me. A lot of Irish/Northern Irish smugglers are former terrorists with paramilitary links and have partnered with all sorts of international criminal gangs trafficking drugs and arms for decades.

 

[CSIDreamer]

I think it's unlikely. The media have honed in on the snake head thing because of the identities of the victims being incorrectly stated as Chinese, imho.

However, with payments made at each stage, this is a large complex network. It almost seems that there is a different person at each 'stage', who can charge what they like for helping them to move on. All with multiple burner phones and fake IDs, they might be nigh on impossible to trace without someone pointing the finger.

I feel it's unlikely, too. If you have your own network, why share?

 

[CSIDreamer]

It wouldn't surprise me. A lot of Irish/Northern Irish smugglers are former terrorists with paramilitary links and have partnered with all sorts of international criminal gangs trafficking drugs and arms for decades.

Good option to look at, too. I'm kind of focusing right now on all the POIs coming from NI.