A haulier jailed for the manslaughter of 39 Vietnamese migrants, who suffocated to death whilst being smuggled by lorry into Britain, has had his 20-year jail sentence extended by another year and four months after failing to pay the full amount of compensation ordered to families.
Ronan Hughes, 45, of Armagh, Northern Ireland, was jailed in 2021 for the manslaughter of the 39 migrants, aged between 15 and 44, who had suffered “an excruciating death” in the overheated, airtight container, the judge at the original trial had told jurors
The victims were found in the back of one of Hughes’ trucks in Essex on 22 October in 2019.
Hughes, was ordered to pay more than £182,000 in compensation to the families of victims but has only paid £58,380 towards the confiscation order.
He still owes more than £127,000 including accrued interest.
Hughes appeared before Folkstone Magistrates’ Court for an enforcement hearing on Tuesday and the judge ordered that he serve an additional year and four months in prison.
Heather Chalk, CPS specialist prosecutor, said: “Ronan Hughes led an unscrupulous network of organised criminals that sought to profit from smuggling desperate people.
“It is devastating that 39 vulnerable people lost their lives because of their greed and recklessness.
“The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to dismantle these smuggling networks and prevent them from profiting from their criminality.
“Hughes failed to pay back his confiscation order in full and, as a result, he will be serving additional time in jail.”
Four other members of the people smuggling gang were jailed for between 13 and 27 years for the manslaughter of the men, women and children.
They are: Romanian mechanic Gheorghe Nica, 48; Romanian Marius Mihai Draghici, 52, who was described as Nica’s second-in-command; lorry driver Maurice Robinson, 30, of Craigavon, who found the bodies; and Eamonn Harrison, 28, of Co Down, who had collected the victims on the continent.
To date, more than £283,000 in ill-gotten gains has been ordered to be paid by defendants as compensation to the victims’ families.
