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 has been sentenced to nine months in prison, while 54 year old Nicolai Vitega and 32 year old Floris Adrian Laurus have been sentenced to a year’s imprisonment after being found guilty of human trafficking.
All three were also ordered to pay a £187 surcharge.
Shortly before 7.45am on Wednesday, the 6th of March 2024, a report was made to police of two lorries pulling into Cobham Services. The informant claimed they had seen multiple people being taken from these lorries and placed into three white vans.
Police hurried to the scene where one of the lorries was 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.
Having noticed eye-level cuts in the fabric on the side of the lorry, believed to be used as peepholes and air holes in modern slavery cases, officers became concerned that someone may be being held inside against their will.
Bolt croppers were used to gain access to the rear of the vehicle. This was searched but no persons found inside; however, officers were still concerned that there were persons concealed within the vehicle, so 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.
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.
A passport believed to belong to the lorry driver was found in the back of the cab, and officers searched the service station until they found the man matching the photograph (Vitega) and detained him.
Having been given details of the second lorry, this was intercepted at Clacket Lane Services, where the second driver (Laurus) was detained.
Both lorry drivers were arrested on suspicion of kidnap and human trafficking and subsequently charged and remanded for facilitating entry to the country. Their vehicles were also seized.
CCTV and investigative work identified that the outstanding van was registered to Haj. Haj was located and arrested shortly afterwards, and his vehicle was also seized.
Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector James Ansell said: “These three men were part of an international Organised Crime Group, who deliberately targeted vulnerable individuals and trafficked them around the world.
“The information received from the public led to our intervention and prevented these three people from being exploited.
“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.”
For more information from Surrey Police about human trafficking, click here:
