A convicted people smuggler from Vietnam, wanted by the French authorities, has been arrested in Bexhill-on-Sea. French prosecutors said 39-year-old Khanh Chan was part of a Vietnamese organised crime group responsible for smuggling migrants from his home country to the U.K. Authorities said Chan, also known by the name of Khanh Ngoc Nguyen, was part of an international network. It's thought he was actively smuggling people between 2015 and 2017. The migrants would be transported through France, where they would be moved by lorry through the Channel ports into the U.K., or on to other countries in Europe. Chan was convicted of people smuggling offences in his absence by a court in Paris in September 2019, and sentenced to eight years in prison. National Crime Agency investigators worked with the French authorities to track him down to an address in Bexhill-on-Sea, where he was arrested on a European Arrest Warrant on Thursday (January, 16). [caption id="attachment_13291024" align="alignnone" width="660"] Source: National Crime Agency[/caption] He was taken into police custody before being subject to extradition proceedings to be sent back to France to serve his sentence. NCA investigator, Steve Reynolds, said: "We believe Chan was a significant player in an organised crime group responsible for smuggling migrants across the globe. "Working with our partners in France we managed to locate him here in the UK and will now seek his extradition so he can serve a prison sentence for offences he has already been convicted of in a French court. "People smugglers treat migrants like a commodity, and the tragic events last year in Essex demonstrated how little care for their safety these kinds of gangs have. "We're determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the organised criminal networks involved in this type of offending." More Radio is continuously dedicated to providing a quality news service on-air and online, reporting local stories that matter across Sussex. If you enjoyed reading this story, then check out our home page at moreradio.online where you can find the latest from the county, along with features and competitions from our presenters, as well as listening to the station live. You can also sign up to our news alerts to receive updates on new stories. Simply click on the bell at the bottom right of the home page. This will then allow a pop-up which will ask if you would like to receive alerts. Press ‘allow’ and you’re all signed up! You can also follow us on Facebook and on Twitter.
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