More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
A man has been arrested in London in connection with the bodies found inside a refrigerated trailer near the Dartford Crossing.
The 42-year-old, from Tottenham, was arrested this morning on suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate the entry of non-EU citizens into the UK.
Officers say the arrest is in connection to the ongoing investigation into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals, who were sadly discovered in a lorry container in Grays on October 23 last year.
On April 8, Maurice Robinson, 25, of Craigavon in Northern Ireland, appeared at the Old Bailey and pleaded guilty to 39 counts of manslaughter.
He had already admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration with others and acquiring criminal property at a hearing at the central criminal court in November.
Robinson appeared in court via video link alongside four other defendants.
Another man has been charged with with conspiracy to arrange or facilitate the travel of people with a view to exploitation and conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law.
A third man will face 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
And a fourth and fifth have both been charged with conspiring to do an act to facilitate the commission of a breach of UK immigration law by a non-EU person between May 1, 2018 and October 24, 2019.
In February it was revealed that provisional investigations showed the Vietnamese migrants died as a result of overheating.
The bodies, which included a 15-year-old boy, were found in a trailer in Grays in October and were initially thought to be those of Chinese citizens.
They were flown home to Vietnam the following month as police offered condolences and pressed ahead with their investigations.
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