Three and a half years after the death of 39 migrants in a truck in Britain, the Paris prosecutor’s office has filed a complaint against 19 suspects (see video above). The men, aged between 21 and 58 today, are said to have been part of a large network and are being prosecuted for illegal smuggling and sometimes also for negligent homicide, as the prosecutor confirmed on Thursday evening.
The suspects are suspected of taking advantage of the emigrants’ misery and demanding exorbitant sums from them for their smuggling from Asia to Europe.
The case caused an international sensation
On October 23, 2019, 39 bodies, 31 men and 8 women, were found in a refrigerated truck in a town in Essex, near London. A ship had previously brought the container from Belgium to England. The victims who suffocated in the container came from Vietnam. The case attracted international attention.
Judge must decide on trial
The suspects of different nationalities now residing in Paris are accused of dividing the workload to ensure the transport and temporary accommodation of the victims in the Paris area. The investigating judge must now decide on a trial. Investigators arrested thirteen of the suspects three years ago. They allegedly smuggled several dozen migrants from Southeast Asia every day for months.
In addition to France, prosecutions have also been launched against suspected participants in Great Britain, Belgium and Vietnam. In London in early 2021, four members of the smuggling gang were sentenced to long prison terms. The two leaders received 27 and 20 years in prison respectively, the lorry driver 13 years and four months and a fourth member 18 years.
Source: Krone
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