A Vietnamese millionaire has reportedly been added into the wanted list of people potentially responsible for the deaths of migrants smuggled to the United Kingdom in a lorry trailer found in Essex.
According to news.com.au, a police task force in Vietnam reportedly believes that the Vietnamese millionaire knew as "Mr. Tuong," could have been the mastermind in the plan to smuggle the 39 people who were found dead inside the trailer.
More details about Tuong's potential involvement in the people-smuggling case have yet to be revealed. However, Tuong, a mob kingpin in Vietnam, is said to have assisted in trafficking Vietnamese migrants not just to the U.K. but also to the United States.
28 families have since expressed fears that their relatives could have been among those who died of suffocation in the trailer. It is further believed that the youngest victim could have been Nguyen Huy Hung, who is only 15 years old.
While the Vietnamese police continue to find leads regarding Mr. Tuong's whereabouts, a manhunt has kicked off in Ireland for brothers Ronan and Chris Hughes, who is believed to also have played a role in the Essex lorry tragedy.
According to The Sun, a manhunt began on Wednesday after it was reported that Chris was spotted taking a stroll in his hometown in Monaghan, Ireland. He was reportedly seen with his wife in town, near the hairdressing business run by his wife.
The two brothers are suspected of having assisted in the smuggling of the dead migrants before lorry driver, Maurice "Mo" Robinson picked up the trailer in Purfleet and hours after the latter called the authorities to inform them of the tragedy.
While not too much is known of Chris' history, his brother, Ronan, was a convicted cigarette smuggler. Ronan is said to have been the driver of the trailer before it was handed over to Robinson.
On Monday, Belgian prosecutors revealed that the smugglers said the trailer was packed with biscuits and cookies, the Telegraph reported. The details are related to the alleged involvement of a 23-year-old driver who is reportedly told port officials that he did not turn on the trailer's refrigeration system since cookies were inside.
Due to the fourth person-of-interest's statements, it was then suggested that the migrants inside the lorry could have died of suffocation instead of freezing. Autopsy results have yet to be revealed to confirm the investigators' initial assessments of the cause of death.
Other people questioned about the Essex lorry deaths are haulage boss Thomas Maher, his wife, Joanna, and an unnamed man from Northern Ireland. All three have been released on bail until mid-November.
