Vietnamese migrants called 'chickens,' controlled by passports as UK crime ring busted

Five men have been sentenced to prison in the UK for using migrants' passports as a tool to control them in a form of "debt bondage" after illegally bringing them into the country. The group also laundered over £1.6 million (more than 56 billion Vietnamese dong), according to the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). Investigators revealed that the migrants had their passports confiscated before being smuggled into the UK from France, either across the Channel on small boats or via lorries. These documents were then used as a means of control, while payments for the journeys were collected and sent back to Vietnam. The NCA confirmed that over £1.65 million was transferred to accounts in Vietnam through 740 transactions between July 2024 and October 2025. Vinh Van Nguyen and Quang Van Nguyen, both 31 and from Coventry, are said to have led the operation. Quang Van Nguyen was arrested in Birmingham city centre on September 11, 2025, after being spotted acting suspiciously near a parked car. A search of the vehicle uncovered over £16,700 in cash, 220 Vietnamese passports bundled together in the boot, along with handwritten notes and receipts from previous money transfer transactions. The investigation began two months earlier when French customs officers at Charles de Gaulle Airport intercepted a parcel addressed to Quang. Declared as containing chocolate and clothing, the package was found to hold 22 passports belonging to Vietnamese citizens. Subsequent inquiries revealed that money transfers made through post offices across the UK were linked to members of this group. Data analysis of seized mobile phones during the investigation uncovered numerous exchanges related to illegal immigration routes, passports, and the movement of these individuals. Investigators also found messages referring to the migrants as "chickens," a slang term the gang used for those they smuggled, according to the NCA. Ms. Sara-Jayne Moore, head of an NCA unit, stated that the group "did not hesitate" to transport migrants for profit and that the language used in intercepted messages reflected their callous attitude towards those they trafficked. Ms. Moore added that many migrants face prolonged hardship after arriving in the UK, forced to work to repay debts incurred from their journey. Following a two-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Vinh was convicted of conspiracy to facilitate the entry of illegal immigrants into the UK and transferring criminal property. Quang Van Nguyen and another individual, Lia-Chien Trong (34), had previously pleaded guilty to both charges. Sy Trai Ho (28) and Van Huy Nguyen (23), from Rotherham, changed their pleas to guilty after the trial began. Vinh was sentenced to 12 years and 6 months in prison, Quang to 9 years and 9 months, Huy to 7 years and 2 months, Trong (no fixed address) to 6 years, and Ho (no fixed address) to 4 years and 6 months.