A self-confessed people smuggler who has helped transport over 1,000 Vietnamese people into the UK has defended his actions as the business is ‘lucrative.’
The smuggler, who refers to himself as Thanh, spoke to the BBC on the condition of anonymity and revealed the secret ways in which criminal enterprises took advantage of desperate migrants looking to cross the channel.
Thanh claimed that travelling for work is an intrinsic part of Vietnamese culture and that thanks to lax EU work visa regulations there was now a clear route from the Asian country to the UK.
Vietnamese people first leave Vietnam paying as much as £15,000 to get to mainland Europe where they obtain legal work visas in eastern European countries like Hungary and establish themselves on the continent.
Many Vietnamese people then travel to Calais where with the help of criminal gangs they reach the UK on small boats.
A self confessed people smuggler who has helped transport over 1,000 Vietnamese people into the UK has defended his actions
Earlier this year, official Home Office numbers revealed that Vietnamese people were now the main source of migrants arriving on small boats
Once in the UK, Vietnamese gangs set the migrants up with forged documents so they can begin their lives in Britain.
Earlier this year, official Home Office numbers revealed that Vietnamese people were now the main source of migrants arriving on small boats.
Over 50 people have been killed during crossings this year making 2024 the deadliest year of the migrant crisis so far.
Speaking to the BBC, Thanh claimed he had asked for asylum in Britain after crossing on a small boat having paid double the rate other migrants pay, something it is common for the Vietnamese to do.
He claims he like many others told UK authorities he had been trafficked in order to increase the likelihood he would be given asylum.
He said: ‘That’s the way it’s done. [People lie] in order to continue the asylum process safely.’
Thanh left Vietnam in 2007 and lived in Berlin for a while where he told authorities he was 14-years-old to be fast tracked to a children’s home.
He started a family in Berlin but left them for the UK when police cracked down on his illegal cigarette business.
Over 50 people have been killed during crossings this year making 2024 the deadliest year of the migrant crisis so far
French Gendarme transport a fatigued migrant who failed to board an overcrowded smugglers’ boat
Whilst camping in a forest near Dunkirk, Thanh began to aid people smuggling gangs being paid £250 for each successful trip.
He rose high in the ranks of the gang before being caught and imprisoned in Europe. After being released he travelled to the UK himself and tried to leave the smuggling game behind him.
However, he claims, his reputation dragged him back in in 2017 and he now makes a living forging documents for new UK arrivals.
He said: ‘People in Europe contacted me asking for help. I’d already helped about 1,000 people to get to the UK successfully, so I was well known for that success.
‘I had a lot of clients. Depending on which embassy it was, we would provide forged bank statements or other documents.
‘First, we would submit these online. If certain embassies needed to check with banks, then we’d put real cash into a bank account. We had arrangements with staff at certain banks.
‘The clients couldn’t access the money themselves, but the bank staff would show the [falsified] details to embassy staff. We worked with lots of different types of Vietnamese banks.’
Thanh claims he is only now breaking his silence on his criminal activities to warn Vietnamese people the journey to Europe is not worth it anymore.
He continued: ‘I just want people in Vietnam to understand that it’s not worth borrowing lots of money to travel here.
‘It’s not so easy for illegal arrivals to find work or make money.
‘And when they do make money it’s less than in the past. It’s no better than in Germany or other European countries. I’ve been trying to find work in the grey economy, but I’ve not been successful.’
Earlier this year, data revealed that a record numbers of migrants living in Britain are not working, costing taxpayers an estimated £8 billion.
Official figures showed that 1,689,000 non-UK nationals are either unemployed or classed as economically inactive because they are not looking for a job.
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