The lorry that transported the container in which the 39 victims were found. — AFP/VNA Photo

ESSEX — A judge in the UK has ordered the confiscation of Ronan Hughes's property to help compensate victims' families.

Hughes was the ringleader of a human trafficking operation linked to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese migrants in Grays, Essex, on October 23, 2019.

His property, valued at £182,078.90, was seized during a hearing at the Central Criminal Court and will be included in a compensation package of £283,802.58.

The migrants, who paid up to £13,000 each for what they believed to be 'a safe passage to the UK', suffocated in an airtight container transported by ferry from Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019.

The victims' bodies were discovered on October 23, 2019, in Grays, Essex, sparking an international investigation.

On the day of the discovery, Hughes boarded a plane to Ireland but was extradited to the UK in 2020 following a European Arrest Warrant.

He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in February 2021 after pleading guilty to his part in the 39 deaths.

During the hearing, he insisted that a property he had built on land belonging to his parents in Ireland was not an available asset for confiscation proceedings.

"This money – all £283,802.58 of it – will be divided between the Vietnamese families who continue to feel the devastating loss of their loved ones," said Detective Chief Inspector Louise Metcalfe.

Eleven people in the UK were convicted in connection with the case. — VNS