Vietnamese human trafficking ring member jailed in UK

A key member of a human trafficking ring that smuggled 22 Vietnamese nationals into the UK via lorry has been sentenced to eight years in prison. Ta Quang Duc, 36, was convicted of human trafficking and money laundering offences at Birmingham Crown Court on July 10. Another man, Sarfaraz Sardarzehi, 58, who is Iranian-born and a British citizen, received a two-year suspended sentence after a jury found he had assisted the group on three occasions. The National Crime Agency (NCA) stated that the ring used encrypted social media platforms for communication and facilitated crossings via ferry or the Channel Tunnel. Duc, who had entered the UK illegally, was arrested near Leatherhead in Surrey while carrying more than £56,000 (approximately $70,000) to pay lorry drivers who transported Vietnamese migrants from France to the UK. Police seized a black bag containing the cash and a mobile phone with extensive evidence of human trafficking activities from the BMW he was travelling in. Sardarzehi was arrested the following day in London in a vehicle with three men he admitted were illegal immigrants. Investigators believe these individuals were linked to payments made by Duc. An NCA spokesperson said the Vietnamese migrants smuggled by the pair paid substantial sums to make the journey, being held in "safe houses," primarily in Belgium, before being arranged for transport in lorries. The ring used coded language on encrypted messaging apps, referring to migrants as "brothers and sisters," "chickens," "pork," or "goods," police as "dogs," and vehicles as "horses." While the investigation focused on August-September 2020, investigators suspect the network operated for a much longer period. Duc and Sardarzehi were found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration between August 18 and September 6, 2020. Three other members of the group were convicted of similar offences in 2022 and 2023: Mai Van Nguyen, 36; Le Hai Xuan, also known as Ho Sy Quoc, 28; and Habib Behsodi, 45. Thomas Short, a prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, stated, "Ta Quang Duc and Sarfaraz Sardarzehi were part of a transnational human trafficking operation. Their sole aim was to make money without any regard for the safety of others." He added that some of the Vietnamese migrants they smuggled faced perilous journeys, including being held in the back of refrigerated lorries, which could have led to fatal consequences.