Vietnamese Woman Jailed for Human Trafficking in UK

http://uk.ibtimes.com/articles/252529/20111119/vietnamese-woman-jailed-human-trafficking-uk.htm

By Aditya Rangroo | November 19, 2011 8:18 AM GMT

A woman has been sentenced to five years jail for running the UK arm of an international human trafficking gang, following an investigation by the UK Border Agency.

Vietnamese national Thuy Nguyen, 41, was arrested at her home in Bow, east London, in February this year as part of an operation involving law enforcement agencies in five different countries.

Nguyen was a member of a criminal network that smuggles immigrants from Vietnam to Europe via Moscow or Paris, charging them up to £12,000 each.

"Nguyen exploited vulnerable immigrants to profit a major international organised criminal network. This was a major pan-European investigation involving law enforcement agencies in five European countries," said Andy Cummins, head of the UK Border Agency's South East Region Immigration Crime Team.

"Working with the police and other law enforcement partners at home and abroad, we are determined to tackle the organised criminals who prey on vulnerable immigrants, and take action against those who break the law," Cummins added.

Nguyen came to the attention of the UK authorities after her car was pulled over by traffic police at Clackett Lane Service Station on the M25 in November 2010.

Two of her passengers that day were Vietnamese illegal immigrants. Officers also found £11,000 cash in a plastic bag. She was arrested and later bailed, but further enquiries linked her to an organised crime group being investigated by French police.

Nguyen was re-arrested by officers from criminal and financial investigation team in London. European law enforcement agencies carried out coordinated raids in Paris, Prague, Berlin, Munich and Budapest and over 30 people were arrested.

Nguyen was charged with conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration and found guilty by the Maidstone Crown Court. Proceedings have now been launched to seize profits made by Nguyen.

Airline crew to spot trafficking - Home News, UK - The Independent

Image via WikipediaSource: The IndependentBy Lizzie Robinson

Tuesday, 18 October 2011

The first airline in the UK to train cabin crew to spot and report signs of human trafficking on flights was today hailed a success.

Virgin Atlantic is providing its staff with special training on identifying those who may be engaged in trafficking and their potential victims and how to report them to the authorities before arrival in the UK.

It is the first airline to work with the UK Border Agency on training cabin crew.

Immigration minister Damian Green met Virgin staff who have signed up to the initiative at Heathrow Airport to mark Anti-Slavery Day.

He said: "Its absolutely essential that frontline staff are aware of it and can recognise it so they can warn the UK Border Agency so that we can take effective action against what is a horrible crime.

"It will make us more effective at spotting the first signs of trafficking and it will also act as a deterrent.

"I am delighted that Virgin have blazed a trail on this and I very much hope that other airlines that fly into the UK will follow suit because they can do a huge deal of good."

Around 150 Virgin staff have signed up to the initiative, which involves an electronic learning package to teach cabin crew the signs to look out for during a flight.

Jade Campbell, 33, a Virgin cabin crew member who has completed the training, said: "Its nice to have some background knowledge and to understand something that we are not very familiar with, that's maybe a bit daunting.

"When we are on board we do engage with people so if something doesn't ring right we will now have the confidence to report it.

"It's something we should be looking at as crew and it can only be a positive thing."

PA

Colchester cannabis raid: Man arrested a ‘victim of human trafficking’ (From Gazette)

Image via Wikipedia

10:00am Saturday 6th August 2011

By Helen Orrell

A MAN arrested in connection with a raid on a cannabis growing operating in Colchester is believed to be a victim of human trafficking.

The 41-year-old man was arrested when police raided a bungalow in Welshwood Park Road. He is a Chinese national and is said to be in the country illegally.

Police discovered 600 to 800 cannabis plants with a street value of £250,000 inside the bungalow on Tuesday.

They were tipped off by neighbourhood PCSO Julia Brandon, who smelled the cannabis plants through an open window while walking her beat.

The man was questioned by police and bailed pending further inquiries.

He was handed to the Salvation Army, which has a contract for looking after potential adult victims of human trafficking, and taken to a safe house outside the Colchester area.

He will remain there until the investigation has finished.

Toby Allanson, a UK Border Agency spokesman, said: “He is an immigration offender.

“He remains on immigration bail while the UK Border Agency works to progress his case.

“He will certainly not be deported until the police have finished their investigation.

“Then his case will be looked at.”

Paul Smith, ward councillor for St John’s and Parson’s Heath, said Welshwood Park residents had been shocked by the discovery of the drugs operation on their leafy estate.

He said: “While residents had concerns about the building, to find it was being used as a cannabis factory, and a very large one at that, has come as something of a surprise and has shaken the tranquility of Welshwood Park.

“The fact he was in the country illegally is not a surprise, although it might account for why no one was ever seen entering or leaving the premises.”

Source: gazette-news.co.uk/

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Cambridge address targeted during ‘biggest’ sex trafficking raid - News - Cambridge First

Friday, June 24, 2011
10:58 AM

AN address in Cambridge was raided by officials during one of the bigggest operations in the UK, targeting a crime gang suspected of trafficking sex workers.

Around 150 officers from the UK Border Agency and eight different police forces including Cambridgeshire Constabulary were involved in simultaneous raids on 13 different addresses around the South and East of England.

Nine people were arrested following the UK Border Agency-led operation, but no arrests were made in Cambridge.

Three men aged 52, 38 and 34 and a woman aged 35 were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to control prostitution for gain, trafficking and money laundering offences.

In addition four men and a woman, all believed to be Chinese nationals, were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the management of a brothel.

All nine are now being questioned by UK Border Agency investigators.

Five suspected sex workers discovered at the addresses are now being cared for and assessed at a specialist centre in the South East of England.

Three Chinese nationals were detained for immigration offences.

The operation was co-ordinated by the UK Border Agency’s Criminal and Financial Investigation team.

Assistant Director Sam Bullimore from the team, said: “This is one of the biggest operations ever undertaken by the UK Border Agency, targeting what we believe is a significant organised crime group responsible for the supply of sex workers around the South East.

“It is the result of an extensive and lengthy investigation involving the UK Border Agency and a number of police forces. That investigation continues with the evidence that we have seized today.”

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: “This summer we are targeting our efforts onbreaking up the organised gangs who trade in human beings and are behind visa scams.

“The message is clear - the UK is no longer a safe haven for immigration offenders and human traffickers.”

Anyone who has information about immigration crime can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit www.crimestoppers-uk.org.

Cambridge address targeted during ‘biggest’ sex trafficking raid - News - Cambridge First
Source: www.cambridgefirst.co.uk

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Five held in suspected brothel raid - Crime, UK - The Independent

PA

Wednesday, 8 June 2011

Officers raided a Chinese herbalist today suspected of being run as a brothel in direct view of a busy city centre police station.

The joint operation between Northumbria Police and the UK Border Agency involved around 50 officers, saw five people arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking and rescued two women allegedly being forced to work as prostitutes.

Two white men believed to be customers were also lead away from the Chinese Medical Centre, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle.

The shop, in direct view of and less than 100 yards away from the city's main police station, advertises massages, Chinese Viagra and treatments to boost sex drive in its window.

The UKBA said those suspected of being involved in sex trafficking and the rescued women were Chinese.

Officers led out a respectable-looking silver-haired man in handcuffs, and separately, a woman in her 20s in glasses.

Elsewhere in the city, police arrested two others and a simultaneous raid in Foyle Street, Sunderland, saw a woman held for questioning.

It was later confirmed two men aged 63 and 39 and three women aged 39, 28 and 23 were arrested. The two women believed to be forced into prostitution will be given help before an assessment is made of what to do with them.

Andy Radcliffe, of the UK Border Agency, said: "Today's operation follows an investigation into the suspected trafficking of foreign nationals into the UK sex trade."

Mr Radcliffe, who led the agency's Criminal and Financial Investigations Immigration team which was behind the raid, added: "Those arrested remain in police custody and will be questioned throughout the rest of the day."

Immigration Minister Damian Green said: "Raids like this show the UKBA plays an important role in tackling gangs who exploit people for financial gain.

"We have a strong record of supporting victims and through tough enforcement are stopping the UK becoming a safe haven for human traffickers who trade on misery.

"The new trafficking strategy will be published shortly which, supported by the creation of the new National Crime Agency, will further improve our capability to intervene at the border."

Source: The Independent

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BBC News - Scotland 'failing' trafficked children

13 March 2011 Last updated at 21:06 ET

The research revealed that awareness of child trafficking is low in Scotland.

At least 80 children have been trafficked into Scotland in the past 18 months without anyone being convicted, a new report has claimed.

Scotland's commissioner for children and young people (SCCYP) said the issue of child trafficking was a "national scandal".

The study marks the first attempt to quantify the scale of child trafficking in Scotland.

UK Border Agency figures show 14 child trafficking referrals between 2009-10.

However, SCCYP, working with the University of the Highlands and Islands at Perth's centre for rural childhood, said the actual number of referrals was only the tip of the iceberg.

Their report - titled, Scotland: A safe place for child traffickers - said that even in the few cases where children had been correctly identified as victims of trafficking, a poor response combined with a lack of successful prosecutions made Scotland a welcome place for traffickers to operate.

The study also revealed that community awareness about child trafficking in Scotland was low. Researchers said the situation could be leading to a "significant number" of cases remaining unidentified.

'Criminal networks'

Tam Baillie, Scotland's commissioner for children and young people, said: "When children are raped or exploited as slaves in households or businesses in Scotland it becomes our national scandal.

"When we fail to notice, fail to pick up the signs and fail to act on children's trauma, it demands action.

"I hope this report, the first of its kind in Scotland, will take the issue out into the open and result in action and change for child victims of trafficking."

Continue reading the main story

"The police take child trafficking accusations extremely seriously and regularly share intelligence with their international counterparts and relevant UK government departments - helping to detect and disrupt such criminal networks.”Scottish government

Professor Rebecca Wallace, director, for the centre for rural childhood, added: "The report's findings address the previous lack of an evidence base regarding child trafficking in Scotland and as such provide a platform from which to move forward."

The commissioner has called for a number of recommendations to be implemented to reduce instances of trafficking.

Among them is a call for the Scottish government to work more closely with the police and local authorities to ensure investigations into child trafficking were properly resourced.

A government spokesman said ministers had recently published new national child protection guidance, which contained a dedicated section on child trafficking, placing the issue firmly within child protection practices.

He added: "This guidance makes clear that it is essential to take timely and decisive action where child trafficking is suspected.

"The police take child trafficking accusations extremely seriously and regularly share intelligence with their international counterparts and relevant UK government departments - helping to detect and disrupt such criminal networks.

"No civilised society should tolerate child trafficking and ultimately law enforcement agencies can only help eradicate it if they are provided with information and evidence so we would therefore encourage anyone who suspects it might be taking place to inform the police immediately.

"Any case of child trafficking would be one too many and the Scottish government encourages all those with a role in eradicating this horrific human trade to act on the recommendations in this report."

Source: BBC News

BBC News - Scotland 'failing' trafficked children

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Man arrested on suspicion of human trafficking to be deported - Northants ET

Source: Evening Telegraph

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RAIDED – the Royal and George Hotels in Kettering

"I'm amazed because as far as I know they are investors"

Shahzad Hashmi

Published Date:
15 September 2010

By David Trayner

News reporter

An Indian man arrested on suspicion of human trafficking offences in Kettering on Monday is to be deported, the UK Border Agency has confirmed.

Border agency officials and Northamptonshire Police arrested three men aged 32, 36 and 36 in raids on the Royal and George Hotels in Kettering on Monday afternoon.

Two of the men have been bailed pending further enquiries while one of the 36 year olds has been found to be in the country on an expired visa and deportation proceedings have been launched.

The UK Border Agency raided the hotels believing two men were being forced to work in harsh conditions against their will.

Two men were taken into the care of the charity Migrant Helpline during the operation.

The names of the three men arrested have not been released.

UK Border Agency assistant director Sam Bullimore said: "Human trafficking is a brutal form of organised crime and combating it is a key priority. Working with our law enforcement partners we are determined to create a hostile environment for those who prey on vulnerable immigrants and take action against them."

Police forensic officers were yesterday continuing the investigation at the George Hotel, which was closed until further notice.

The Royal Hotel remains open.

The two hotels were bought by Indian tycoon Saurabh Agarwal last year.
General manager Raj Yezhuvath is believed to have left the business on Saturday.

The George is in the middle of a £1.5 million revamp and the owners, who have five hotels near the Taj Mahal in India, have applied to refurbish the Royal as well.

Shahzad Hashmi, who is project manager for the redevelopment of The George, said: "There must be some confusion because the owners seem to be very fair people.

"I'm amazed because as far as I know they are investors.

"It's a joke. If someone is going to invest £25 million or £30 million they cannot have a business running with human trafficking.

"95 per cent of people working in the hotel are from the local area."

Mr Hashmi said the redevelopment was being carried out by a local contractor who brought in his own people.

He said only a couple of kitchen staff from the hotels' 30 odd staff were Indian.

It was hoped new ownership would be a fresh start for the 370-year-old George Hotel, which had to close last summer after the previous owner failed to pay its electricity bill.

Simon Musto, of Simon Musto Estate Agents, which neighbours the George in Sheep Street, said: "We went out about 2.30pm and there were policemen there. There were three cars and a van.

"There were police over the entrance way here and the main entrance.

"I left to go home at 6pm and there were still as many police there."

Man arrested on suspicion of human trafficking to be deported - Northants ET

French and UK police break up human trafficking ring | Law | The Guardian

Cross-Channel operation leads to arrest of 26 people suspected of attempting to smuggle hundreds of migrants to Britain

• Matthew Taylor
• guardian.co.uk, Monday 2 August 2010 19.52 BST
• Article history

Damian Green, the immigration minister, said the arrests proved the value of close co-operation between the UK and France. Photograph: Dominic Lipinski/PA

French and British police say they have broken a human trafficking ring, arresting 26 people who were attempting to smuggle hundreds of migrants to the UK.

Scores of officers raided properties in Kent and France today in what is believed to be one of the biggest initiatives of its kind between forces from the two countries.

Damian Green, the immigration minister, said the arrests proved the value of close co-operation between the UK and France.

"Secure border controls are an absolute priority if we are to put an end to abuses of the system, and prevent people from coming to the UK through illegal routes," he said.

"That is why I am committed to working with my French counterpart to continue to improve security, and why we will continue with our successful summer operations against illegal immigration."

The French authorities said 18 suspected traffickers were arrested in France and eight more in Britain.

They are accused of smuggling hundreds of Albanians and Sri Lankans to the UK, charging between £1,500 and £4,000 a person.

Dozens of migrants were also detained during the operation, according to a statement from the French immigration ministry.

Last year France and the UK signed a deal aimed at tackling the growing number of migrants gathered at Calais. The agreement saw the UK allocate £15m to tighten British border controls and France promise to begin voluntary and forced repatriations.

The deal, agreed as Gordon Brown met Nicolas Sarkozy for a pre-G8 summit, was hailed as a breakthrough by the UK authorities who said it was the first time France had explicitly agreed to step up removal flights from northern France.

In September last year the French authorities closed down a makeshift camp in Calais known as "the jungle", which was home to hundreds of migrants, mostly Afghans. It signalled the start of a widespread crackdown by the French authorities that some campaign groups say has lead to the heavy-handed treatment of minority groups across the country.

The French authorities said today's arrests were part of an ongoing operation.

Green said: "This operation demonstrates how crucial it is that the UK Border Agency [UKBA], Serious Organised Crime Agency [Soca], the police, and French law enforcement work together to crack down on immigration crime, and put a stop to the trafficking that preys on the vulnerable and destroys lives."

The Home Office said the operation was co-ordinated by the Joint Intelligence Unit in Folkestone, which consists of the UKBA, Soca, Kent police, the French border police and the French anti-illegal immigration agency.

French and UK police break up human trafficking ring | Law | The Guardian

Prosecutors call for human trafficking victims to testify | Law | The Guardian

Authorities launch drive to boost conviction rate as China is revealed to be one of the main sources of trafficked people

• Robert Booth
• guardian.co.uk, Thursday 29 July 2010 18.10 BST
• Article history

Protesters outside the Houses of Parliament campaig against child trafficking earlier this month. Photograph: Oli Scarff/Getty Images

Prosecutors have responded to criticism they are securing too few convictions for human trafficking by making a plea to victims to come forward and testify against their traffickers.

The director of public prosecutions, Kier Starmer, launched a draft policy on prosecuting a crime he described as "modern-day slavery" in a bid to increase the number of prosecutions for trafficking in England and Wales. Last year 102 people were prosecuted for sex trafficking and another 19 for labour trafficking.

The move comes as the Crown Prosecution Service announced a growing problem of trafficking into Britain from Nigeria, Vietnam and China, which are believed to be the major source of victims, after many years in which eastern Europe had that status. In particular young women and girls are being trafficked from Nigeria to work as prostitutes, while boys and young men from Vietnam are being used in cannabis farms located in converted homes in residential areas across Britain. Victims of both sex are being trafficked from China into prostitution and forced labour such as domestic slavery, the CPS said.

"It is important that those who help victims understand our role in dealing with human trafficking cases," said Starmer. "This new public policy will be the go-to guide on the prosecution process for support groups … and help them give informed advice to victims, which we hope will ultimately lead more victims supporting prosecutions. Combating human trafficking is a high priority for the CPS and the criminal justice system – we are committed to tackling and disrupting this modern form of slavery."

Campaigners for trafficking victims have been critical of the authorities' response to the crime.

"Over recent years the government has woefully underperformed in securing convictions for human trafficking," said Christine Beddoe, director of Ecpat UK. "There is no incentive for victims to come forward because of the lack of protection. Even recent efforts to improve the identification of victims through a national referral mechanism are being undermined by the Home Office's insistence on seeing too many of these exploited and vulnerable individuals as immigration offenders."

Victims are often reluctant to come forward because they fear retribution against themselves or their families back home and because they distrust the police, especially if they are from a country which suffers from a corrupt law enforcement system.

The CPS wants victims to know they will be protected through the prosecution process and to encourage them to come forward with vital evidence against the person or gang that exploited them in order to secure a conviction.

The draft policy states that victims can be screened from the defendant in court, public galleries can be cleared and the victim can give evidence through a TV link, even from abroad if they have returned to their home country.

Successfully prosecutions have proved difficult in recent years, partly because prosecutors must present juries with evidence that the suspected trafficker recruited the victim and moved them, which often requires evidence from the home country; that the victim has been forced into exploitation; and of the exploitation itself. To show all these, the victim's own evidence is a key starting point for investigators.

The CPS wants charities and support groups who assist victims of trafficking to explain to them how the prosecution system in the UK will protect them if they come forward, and is calling on agencies such as the Health and Safety Executive, the department of work and pensions and the UK Border Agency which come across trafficking victims to do the same.

Prosecutors call for human trafficking victims to testify | Law | The Guardian

BBC News - Seven arrests in people trafficking operation

22 July 2010 Last updated at 04:47 ET

Seven people have been arrested in connection with an operation targeting people trafficking and prostitution.

Raids were carried out at properties in Ipswich, Norwich, Swindon, Harwich in Essex and Tedburn St Mary in Devon.

Those arrested are being held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people for sexual exploitation.

Police said five suspected victims were found following the searches, three of them in Ipswich, and are now being helped by specially-trained staff.

Those arrested are also being held on suspicion of conspiracy to manage, keep, act or assist in the management of a brothel for prostitution.

Suffolk Police led the operation which also involved officers from Norfolk, Essex, Wiltshire and Devon and Cornwall police forces.

The Serious and Organised Crime Agency Vulnerable Persons Team, the UK Border Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service Complex Case Unit and the UK Human Trafficking Centre are also involved in the operation.

Searches of the properties are continuing.

BBC News - Seven arrests in people trafficking operation

Charity to target Gatwick Airport in fight against sex slavery (From The Argus)

Image via Wikipedia

11:59am Sunday 31st January 2010

By Rebecca Evans »

An anti-slavery charity is stepping-up its campaign against human trafficking by increasing its presence at Gatwick Airport.

As part of its efforts, Stop UK (Supporting Trafficked & Oppressed People) has put up posters bearing the message “Human trafficking is modern slavery” at the airport.

The charity will also work in partnership with the UK Border Agency and Sussex Police to stop people being brought through Gatwick against their will or for false reasons.

To this end, it will be stationing a case worker at the airport, who will offer advice to vulnerable people about why they may have been brought into the country.

They will then be offered help and support if they decide not to enter the country after all.

The charity's patron, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, said: “Stop UK forms part of a partnership of agencies working together at Gatwick Airport.

“Effective protection is being provided against trafficking and many other ills. The continuation of these schemes for the protection of the public and especially for vulnerable men and women remain vital.”

Jackie Morey, an inspector with the UK Border Agency, said: “The UK Border Agency aims to make the UK a hostile environment for trafficking, and protect victims and potential victims from this abhorrent crime.

“We are glad to have Stop UK working with us to achieve this. They provide assistance and advice on safety to vulnerable passengers who are at risk of being exploited by others.”

Stop UK aims to support trafficked people and raise awareness of the problem of modern day slavery in the UK.

For more information, visit www.stop-uk.org.


Charity to target Gatwick Airport in fight against sex slavery (From The Argus)