UK - 39 bodies found in lorry container, Essex, 23 Oct 2019 #2

[CaptainNancy]

EH gets his own article here, but no new info contained in it
Eamonn Harrison: Co Down man wanted over Essex lorry deaths to be extradited to UK

But Hughes can still go to the Court of Appeal and Harrison to the Supreme Court to challenge extradition:
Two Irish lorry drivers set to be extradited to UK over migrant deaths - Evening Express

 

[CaptainNancy]

This report says that on the same day as the mass arrests in Belgium and France a man was arrested in Germany, on suspicion of arranging the migrants’ journey from Asia:
Essex lorry deaths: alleged gang leader to be extradited to UK
“On the same day police in Germany arrested a 29-year-old man suspected of organising the migrants’ journey from Asia. He is nicknamed “the Bald Duke”, Agence France-Presse reported”

Any French or German speakers able to find more about him?

 

[CaptainNancy]

Smuggler called the 'Bald Duke' charged after 39 migrants die in UK freezer truck

 

[CaptainNancy]

They seem to be leaving Christopher Hughes alone.

At the very least I would have thought that he could be facing charges of assisting, and operating trucks without a licence, since his operators licence in Ireland became invalid once his NI licence was withdrawn for tachograph infringements.

 

[Silverlink]

They seem to be leaving Christopher Hughes alone.

At the very least I would have thought that he could be facing charges of assisting, and operating trucks without a licence, since his operators licence in Ireland became invalid once his NI licence was withdrawn for tachograph infringements.

He is still "subject to a major Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB) probe here into the finances of haulage companies along the border", which I'm guessing is the original investigation that was going on before the deaths sped up the necessity of enforcement action.

Man (40) charged in Essex lorry deaths probe after operation involving armed gardai and air support unit

On one of the Facebook groups I saw some locals commenting that him and his wife are still seen in town often behaving like nothing has happened, she runs a hair salon which doesn't seem to have been affected in any way by these actions, and she's even been on the cover of a local magazine!

Wife of man wanted for quizzing over migrant deaths splashed on magazine cover

 

[CaptainNancy]

Well, well, well.

Thomas Maher (former owner of the truck Mo was driving) arrested on drug trafficking offences, AND conspiracy to commit GBH with none other than Ronan Hughes!

"And Maher has now been charged with a series of offences – namely two counts of conspiracy to import class A drugs, two counts of conspiracy to launder money and conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm.
He is alleged to have smuggled the illicit substances and €900,000 in cash into Ireland.
The Irish national appeared before Warrington Magistrates Court on Monday, June 15, in order to face these charges.

And he is now due to appear back before the same court on Monday, June 22, having been remanded into custody until then"
Man arrested over 39 bodies found in lorry charged with drug trafficking offences

"Maher, of Wiltshire Close, Woolston, is said to have conspired alongside Nathan McGinn, Paul O'Brien, Jason Reed and "others unknown" to smuggle the drugs between March and May this year.
He is also charged with conspiring alongside O'Brien, Reed and others over one money laundering charge relating to €300,000 in cash.
The second money laundering charge states he conspired with Reed, Thomas Rooney, Catherine Dawson and others in relation to an amount of €600,000.
The final charge states that between April 21 and April 29 this year, in Warrington, he conspired alongside Ronan Hughes to cause GBH to an unnamed person"
Businessman charged with drugs, money laundering and GBH plot

I haven't got time to check just now, but I wonder if the GBH conspiracy relates to the warning that was given that Eamonn Harrison, amongst other connected people were warned that they were subject to death threats?




https://digitalclam.co.uk/?c=4700&a...FLbo95ps3zxnDOevllhWwI3TDcIxtgVj0fN8c60CCQ-Uw

 

[CaptainNancy]

The Maher's 'Hair Salon' is such an obvious front. It has no proper premises, no advertising, and the last filed accounts show a laughably small turnover.

I see the GBH date is the date R Hughes was arrested. Maybe that is why the police went in with such force - helicopters etc, to intercept the possibility of a violent attack.

These really are not nice people, are they?

 

[CSIDreamer]

The Maher's 'Hair Salon' is such an obvious front. It has no proper premises, no advertising, and the last filed accounts show a laughably small turnover.

I see the GBH date is the date R Hughes was arrested. Maybe that is why the police went in with such force - helicopters etc, to intercept the possibility of a violent attack.

These really are not nice people, are they?

Not nice at all. Jmo

 

[CaptainNancy]

It's also clear that the sale of the truck between the Mahers and Hughes wasn't just a business transaction between strangers but that they know each other and have some interest in common. Part of the same network.

 

[Bogyo13]

The Maher's 'Hair Salon' is such an obvious front. It has no proper premises, no advertising, and the last filed accounts show a laughably small turnover.

I see the GBH date is the date R Hughes was arrested. Maybe that is why the police went in with such force - helicopters etc, to intercept the possibility of a violent attack.

These really are not nice people, are they?

Wow, just wow!
Did he think police wouldn't monitor him after the lorry? Greedy.
Not nice indeed.
Great police work.

 

[CaptainNancy]

It is great police work.

I wonder if the other people arrested with Maher are lorry drivers taking the drugs into Ireland?

 

[HayLouise]

Essex lorry deaths suspect extradited to UK

 

[CaptainNancy]

Haulier extradited to UK over migrant deaths

In court tomorrow, then.

I wonder where the charge of conspiracy to commit GBH will be dealt with? Would it have to be the subject of a separate EAW?

And why do we keep hearing he wanted to be extradited ASAP?

 

[Silverlink]

Ronan Hughes appeared before Southend Magistrates today where he was charged with 39 counts of manslaughter and one count of facilitating the illegal entry of people into the UK.

Man charged with lorry deaths

 

[CaptainNancy]

It was on BBC Radio need this afternoon, too.

Interestingly this report gives an Armagh (Northern Ireland) address for him.
Essex lorry deaths: Ronan Hughes remanded in custody

 

[Silverlink]

"Alexandru-Ovidiu Hanga, 28, a Romanian national, of Hobart Road in Essex, appeared at the Old Bailey earlier. He admitted one count of conspiring to assist unlawful immigration between May 2018 and October 2019."

Man admits offence linked to people-smuggling

 

[Silverlink]

Gazmir Nuzi also pleaded guilty at the same hearing. This made for interesting reading.

Jonathan Polnay, prosecuting, said today: ‘There are three trips in particular that comprise the substantive part of that conspiracy.

‘There are the events were sadly 39 people were found dead and there are two further trips where Mr Kennedy was the driver and it is one of those trips which Mr Nuzi was in.

‘The lorry would arrive at Purfleet docks were a trailer would be waiting. That would be driven to Collingwood Farm. It is not a built-up area, it is near a golf course.’

Man helped smuggle 39 migrants who died in lorry into UK | Daily Mail Online

 

[CaptainNancy]

Very interesting!

Is Gazmir Nuzi from Tottenham a new name? I remember Hanga and Nica brim arrested, and a third E European, but I had thought they all lived in the Grays / Tilbury area.

So reference to other smuggling trips that week. They had obviously been up to this for months. So what went wrong this time?

Did they put more people in the lorry, thus cutting down the available oxygen? Did a driver fail to switch on a fan or ventilation? Was there a delay which meant they were in the lorry for longer?

 

[Silverlink]

Nuzi was arrested and charged in April, the week before Gardai arrested Ronan Hughes.

Another person charged, 42 year old Albanian national Gazmir Nuzi of Barclay Road, Tottenham.
Man charged in Essex lorry deaths probe

Companies House has him down as the director of JKD Building & Construction Ltd.
JKD BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION LTD - Overview (free company information from Companies House)

 

[CaptainNancy]

Chilling update from the Belgian Press:

"An attempt by Dutch authorities to investigate suspects ahead of the discovery of 39 bodies inside a truck in the UK last autumn was blocked by Belgian officials.
Dutch authorities were tracking two Vietnamese minors who were among the 39 victims of an international human smuggling network found dead inside a UK-bound truck which departed from the port of Zeebrugge"

Essex truck deaths: Belgium blocked probe days before bodies' discovery