Men jailed for human trafficking after lorry stopped at Surrey services
Three people from Vietnam had been forced to live on bread and water and had been in the lorry for a week
A group of men responsible for trafficking people into the UK from abroad and forcing them to live in squalid conditions have all been sent to prison.
37 year old Sebastian Haj was sentenced to nine months in prison, while 54 year old Nicolai Vitega and 32 year old Floris Adrian were each handed a one year sentence after being found guilty of human trafficking.
In March 2024 Surrey Police were made aware of two lorries pulling into the Cobham services. The witness claimed they had seen multiple people being taken from these lorries and placed into three white vans.
When officers arrived at the services the lorries were still parked up. The curtains in the cab were drawn and the windows were covered in condensation, suggesting that someone was inside, but when officers banged on the door no one came out.
Officers also noticed eye-level cuts in the fabric on the side of the lorry. They believed these were being used as peepholes and air holes which is common in cases of human trafficking.
Bolt croppers were used to gain access to the vehicle. No-one was found but officers were still concerned that there were people inside, so they smashed the window to gain entry to the cab.
A man and a woman were found hiding in the back, and a second man strapped into the top compartment of the cab interior, wedged in behind a suitcase. The straps were so tightly secured that he was unable to move or get out on his own and had to be cut free.
Using first Google Translate and then Language Line, officers were able to establish their names and ages, and they told her that they had all been trafficked to the UK from Vietnam, and had their phones and passports taken away from them.
Living off bread and water
Officers also established the three people in the cab had been kept in there for a week and were living off bread and water. One of the men stated that he hadn't been allowed out of the cab for a week and hadn't been allowed to shower for a month.
Senior Investigating Officer, DI James Ansell said: "The complex investigation highlights the good work of all those involved to bring these men to justice, from the initial response to the interoperability between the various teams involved and the meticulous investigation which was led by the North Surrey Criminal Investigation Department and our Modern-Day Slavery & Organised Immigration Team.
“We have also worked with the National Crime Agency and the Regional Organised Crime Unit to make sure we were linked into the wider national offending picture."