A gang who smuggled migrants into the UK on boats and lorries and referred to them as ‘chickens’ to try and evade capture have been jailed for a total of almost 40 years.

The investigation, which was run by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK but was carried out with assist from authorities from across Europe, was launched after a package containin 22 Vietnamese passports was found at Charles de Galle Airport in Paris.

The NCA identified Van Huy Nguyen, 23, who was living in Rotherham, as working with twin brothers Vinh Van Nguyen and Quang Van Nguyen, 31, who lived in Coventry, alongside two other men - Lia-Chien Trong, 34, and Sy Trai Ho, 28 - both of whom had no fixed address in the UK.

The operation was run by Vinh and Quang who advertised people smuggling services from Vietnam to Europe with Vinh messaging contacts on Facebook offering an “end-to-end service”.

The group collected cash from various locations across the UK - including Coventry, Luton, Wigan, Liverpool, Leeds, Leamington Spa and Rugby - before sending them on to Vietnam.

The investigation found the gang transferred more than £1.6m to Vietnam over a 16-month period between 2024 and 2025.

A Facebook Messenger app also referred to the gang bringing ‘chickens’ into the UK.

The message, sent by Vinh to an unknown individual, read: “I DON'T HAVE A JOB YET BUT SOON I HAVE CHICKENS THAT I WANT TO BRING TO THE UK BY TRUCK […] IT'S WINTER NOW AND IT'S DANGEROUS TO GO BOATING SO I DON'T ACCEPT CHICKENS ANYMORE…”

Left: Quang Van Nguyen. Top l-r: Sy Trai Ho and Vinh Van Nguyen. Bottom l-r: Van Huy Nguyen and Lia Chen Trong | NCA

placeholder image — Left: Quang Van Nguyen. Top l-r: Sy Trai Ho and Vinh Van Nguyen. Bottom l-r: Van Huy Nguyen and Lia Chen Trong | NCA

In another chat uncovered by investigators, Trong tells someone: “OVER HERE WE SEND PAPERS TO VIETNAM, CALLED MONEY LAUNDERING.”

Quang was arrested by West Midlands Police in Birmingham city centre on September 11 last year.

The officers saw Quang acting suspiciously after emerging from the driver’s seat of a parked car and discarding the keys under a parked taxi.

The car was searched and found to contain more than £16,700 in cash and 220 Vietnamese passports in the boot bundled together with handwritten notes and receipts from previous money transfers.

Examination of Vinh’s phone showed conversations believed to relate to the movement of migrants through Hungary including routes, flights, passports, addresses near migrant safehouses in France and references to lifejackets.

Communication using the “Zalo” app between Vinh and Huy, who used the handle ‘Gucci’, show Vinh discussing the movement of people and travel routes. There was discussion in the same chat advertising routes from Vietnam to the UK costing $20,000 per person.

Vinh was convicted by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court on 25 August following a two-week trial.

Quang and Trong pleaded guilty at previous hearings, while Ho and Huy changed their pleas to guilty just after the trial started.

At the same court on Tuesday (Sep 15) Vinh was sentenced to 12 years and six months imprisonment, Quang to nine years and nine months, Huy to seven years and two months, Trong to six years and Ho to four years.

NCA branch commander Sara-Jayne Moore said: “This group had no qualms about transporting migrants for profit, as shown by the heartless language used to describe their human cargo.

“The huge numbers of passports seized by the NCA and our policing partners demonstrates the scale of the operation overseen by Quang and Vinh.

“Migrants faced further misery on their arrival to the UK, with many working in the grey economy under ‘debt bondage’ arrangements.

“We will continue to work with partners abroad, including those in France and Belgium, to pursue the crime groups responsible for organised immigration crime, and bring individuals to justice.”