Eurojust announced on 17 September 2026 that five people had been convicted in the United Kingdom after an investigation into a network that transported Vietnamese migrants and laundered more than €1.8 million. The EU agency said British, French and Belgian authorities took part, with coordination also involving Europol.

The case began when French customs officers intercepted a parcel containing 22 Vietnamese passports. According to the statement, people were brought from France to the UK by small boats and lorries and charged up to €20,000. Those who could not pay were forced to work for the group in conditions described as debt bondage.

The proceeds were allegedly sent to Vietnam through more than 800 banking transactions. After the five suspects were arrested, investigators spent over 15 months tracing the money through transfer bureaus. Phones seized in the arrests contained messages about prices, flights, routes, vehicles and the workplaces where victims were made to work.

The main arrests took place in late 2025. The trial was held in August 2026, and sentences were handed down on 14 and 15 September: between 12 and four years for facilitating smuggling and between eight and two years for money laundering, Eurojust said.

Cooperation ran through a joint investigation team. On an action day in March 2026 a further 16 people were arrested in France and three in the United Kingdom. Those related arrests are distinct from the five convictions now announced.

Participants included the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK, France’s anti-smuggling office at Roissy and the federal judicial police of West Flanders. This article follows the charging language in the statement and does not identify victims.

Image: Europol headquarters, The Hague / Wikimedia Commons. The agency helped coordinate the case; it is not Eurojust and does not show victims. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Migrant smugglers sentenced in the United Kingdom | Eurojust; Combatting migrant smuggling | Europol.