Men jailed after Essex lorry deaths ordered to pay £30,000
The four were jailed after the discovery of 39 Vietnamese migrants, who'd died in the back of a lorry.
Four men who were jailed after the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in the back of a lorry in 2019 have been ordered to pay back more than £30,000 gained through criminal activity.
The group were found dead in a trailer at the Waterglade Industrial Park in Grays in October 2019.
Maurice Robinson, 26, of Laurel Drive, Craigavon, Northern Ireland, was sentenced to 13 years and four months in prison for 39 counts of manslaughter, conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and acquiring criminal property - he'll be forced to pay back £21,262.
Christopher Kennedy, 24, of Corkley Road, Darkley, County Armagh, was sentenced to seven years in prison for conspiracy to assist illegal immigration - he'll pay £6,094.
Valentin Calota, 38, of Cossingham Road, Birmingham, was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison for conspiracy to assist illegal immigration - he's been told to pay £1,137.
Alexandru-Ovidiu Hangu, 29, of Hobart Road, Tilbury, was sentenced to three years in prison for conspiring to assist unlawful immigration - he must pay £3,000
All were issued with Confiscation Orders under the Proceeds of Crime Act at the Old Bailey in London.
Senior Investigating Officer for Essex Police, DCI Louise Metcalfe, said: “These men thought they could make a comfortable living by putting the lives of vulnerable people at risk.
“What they did was immoral and dangerous, and I welcome the order made by the courts that prohibits them from retaining money generated through ill-gotten means.
“These orders once again demonstrate the lengths we will go to at Essex Police to deliver justice to the families of those who lost their lives in the most tragic of ways."