Report: 7 lorry drivers in court over facilitating human trafficking to the UK

According to nieuwsblad.be, the truck drivers are between 30 and 44 years old and are suspected of having helped to traffic 58 migrants through the port of Zeebrugge between January and April 2019.

The HGV drivers reportedly all worked for the same company and regularly transported UK-bound goods to the Belgian port of Zeebrugge. The car park of Brugge’s Stock Americain Vermeersch DIY store was said to be a common pick up point where the drivers would allow migrants to board their vehicles.

After arriving at the port, the migrants were then put in containers with goods headed for the United Kingdom.

During the court hearing earlier this week, prosecutor Frank Demeester said:

“People stayed for days in containers that were stacked on top of each other. Over time, the migrants developed oxygen problems, after which they panicked and called the emergency services.”

Demeester also played a recorded emergency call from a Kurdish migrant who had boarded a container with his wife and child. The recording is said to contain the sound of a crying child in the background, as well as cries for help. “We are in a Red Bull container, but no idea where exactly,” said the father.

One of the lorry drivers is reported to have pleaded guilty to his crimes, apologised sincerely, and asked for a second chance. However, another defendant’s lawyer claimed that his client “did not know how many people he was transporting,” and that “he was only instructed to stop at certain places and open his doors.”

The report by nieuwsblad.be states that the drivers could face prison sentences of between two and four years and fines of up to €30,000. The case is set to continue on April 26th.

The Belgian newspaper adds that the person coordinating the trafficking has already been convicted in France.

Photo: Marc Ryckaert (MJJR), CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (image cropped)