Migrants Trapped as People-Smuggling Gang Seized Passports and Forced Victims Into Debt in £1.6m UK Operation

Five men who used migrants' passports as a form of 'debt bondage' after facilitating the illegal entry of Vietnamese migrants into the UK have been jailed, the BBC reported.

The gang laundered more than £1.65 million ($2.2 million) through an operation that involved moving Vietnamese migrants into the UK and collecting money from migrants to pay for their crossings, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Investigators said the group seized migrants' passports in France before the individuals travelled to the UK in small boats and lorries. The documents were allegedly used to control the migrants while money linked to their journeys was collected and transferred to Vietnam.

Gang Transferred £1.65m To Accounts in Vietnam

The NCA said investigators found that the men transferred more than £1.65 million to accounts in Vietnam through 740 transactions between July 2024 and October 2025, according to the BBC.

Vinh Van Nguyen and Quang Van Nguyen, both 31 and from Coventry, were identified by the agency as leaders of the operation. Quang was arrested in Birmingham city centre on 11 September 2025 after officers spotted him behaving suspiciously near a parked car.

A search of the vehicle uncovered more than £16,700 ($22,300) in cash and 220 Vietnamese passports bundled together in the boot. Officers also found handwritten notes and receipts relating to previous money transfers.

The investigation had begun two months earlier after French customs officers intercepted a package at Charles de Gaulle Airport that was addressed to Quang. Although the parcel was labelled as containing chocolates and clothes, investigators discovered 22 Vietnamese passports inside.

Messages Revealed Migrant Routes

Further inquiries connected money transfers made through Post Offices across the UK to members of the group, the BBC reported. Forensic examinations of phones seized during the investigation also uncovered discussions about people-smuggling routes, passports and the movements of migrants.

Investigators found messages in which migrants were referred to as 'chickens,' a term the NCA said was slang used by the gang.

NCA branch commander Sara-Jayne Moore said the group had shown 'no qualms' about transporting migrants for profit. She said messages recovered from the phones demonstrated the gang's attitude towards the people it smuggled.

Moore also said many migrants faced additional hardship after reaching the UK while attempting to repay debts connected to their journeys.

Five Men Jailed After Trial

The prosecutions followed a two-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court. Vinh was convicted of conspiracy to assist illegal entry into the UK and transferring criminal property.

Quang and Lia-Chien Trong, 34, had previously admitted both offences. Sy Trai Ho, 28, and Van Huy Nguyen, 23, both from Rotherham, changed their pleas to guilty after the trial began.

The five men received prison sentences ranging from four years and six months to 12 years and six months. Vinh was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison, while Quang received nine years and nine months.

Huy was sentenced to seven years and two months. Trong, who has no fixed address, received a six-year sentence, while Ho, also of no fixed address, was sentenced to four years and six months.

The case highlighted how the gang combined people-smuggling with financial transfers and the seizure of migrants' passports. According to the NCA, the documents were used as a means of control while payments associated with the journeys were moved through the UK and transferred to Vietnam.