Today, two men aged 31 and 41 stood trial for life-threatening smuggling of ten individuals on December 2, 2023, to England. The prosecutor stated: Human traffickers grossly exploit the vulnerable position of illegal immigrants. This case is no different. Smuggling often leads to later exploitation. In this case, several refugees have reported that forced labor in England was in store for them. Moreover, there was a life-threatening situation for the immigrants. The prosecutor demanded 30 months in prison.
Coast Guard Control
On December 2, 2023, the Dutch Coast Guard received a report after a Coast Guard aircraft spotted a sailboat in the North Sea that warranted inspection. The yacht had no visible name or home port, all hatches and curtains were closed, and the ship had no national flag. Investigators from the Royal Marechaussee and Customs boarded. When the officers looked into the fore cabin, they saw people sitting there. Three of them identified themselves with an Albanian passport, while the other seven did not have identification papers but were later found to be of Vietnamese nationality. The two Dutch crew members were subsequently arrested for human smuggling.
Exploitation
Several immigrants have stated to the police that they were on their way to an unknown destination. None of them knew the two crew members. Some stated that they had paid a lot of money for the sea journey. Others said that the costs were added to outstanding debts to the organization that arranged the smuggling. They had to repay these by working at their new destination, without knowing what awaited them there. Returning to their home country was not an option, as the smugglers pressured their family members, one of them stated. This behavior is the beginning of criminal exploitation, where human traffickers earn their money. This case also shows that human trafficking and smuggling often go hand in hand.
Life Threatening
The condition of the sailboat was inadequate, as confirmed by an independent expert. There was substandard navigation equipment, and only two life jackets and one four-person life raft were on board. Due to the weather conditions, overloading, and lack of safety equipment, the occupants were put in direct life-threatening danger. The prosecutor stated: The sailboat was overloaded with twelve people, which, combined with a busy shipping area characterized by strong currents and short, high waves, made a collision with a ship likely. In the event of a person going overboard during the crossing, the chance of survival was nil. The sailing ship did not have enough rescue equipment and no means to send distress signals.
Guilty
The prosecutor believes that the two defendants are guilty of human smuggling of ten individuals, which posed a life-threatening risk to those smuggled. The prosecutor stated: The defendants claimed they only wanted to help. However, the defendants claim that they acted from humanitarian reasons is not credible, as the smuggled individuals stated they had not spoken to the defendants at all. Whether there was an emergency in their circumstances - which is required for a successful claim of humanitarian smuggling - the defendants could not assess at all. Moreover, it does not align with how they were transported, all cramped in a cabin, without food and with only one life jacket nearby. In any case, the defendants showed no concern that helping these foreigners contributes to the European problem of illegal persons and further exploitation of these individuals.
