Overview
- At Maidstone Crown Court, Daniel Loughran was sentenced to five years and six months and Eoin Nolan to four years for conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.
- The plan involved collecting 10 Vietnamese nationals, including eight children, in France and hiding them among worn tyres for a journey via Zeebrugge.
- Belgian authorities working with the National Crime Agency intercepted the trailer at Gentbrugge, and investigators said £150,000 paid by the migrants was not recovered.
- The court heard that Loughran sought repeat runs and discussed paying drivers £25,000, with recovered messages instructing that migrants be loaded in darkness and keep still.
- Co-conspirator Wayne Sherlock previously received four years and driver Duncan McLaughlin was convicted in Belgium, while Maurice Henderson is listed for an October mention hearing.