58 Chinese migrants found dead in refrigerated truck in UK

Cinety-eight Chinese migrants suffocated in the back of a refrigerated truck in Dover in June 2000. The driver, Perry Wacker, was tried and convicted for his role in the transport.

On the early morning of **June 18, 2000**, a refrigerated truck from Zeebrugge (Belgium) arrived at the port of **Dover** in southeast England. Inside the sealed trailer, 60 people of Chinese origin were traveling. When port services peine the doors, they found 58 dead from suffocation and two survivors. It is one of the worst tragedies linked to irregular immigration that have occurred in the **United Kingdom**.

## The journey that began in Fujian

Most of the victims came from **Fujian** province in southeast China. Networks operating there charged high sums to organize transfers to Europe and North America. The victims had paid amounts that, according to subsequent investigations, could exceed **$20,000** per person, often financed with family debts.

The route usually linked several countries and means of transport. The final leg, in a closed container, is the most dangerous: without ventilation, temperature and carbon dioxide levels rise rapidly. In this case, the journey from **Zeebrugge** to **Dover** took a few hours, enough for the air to run out.

## The trial against Perry Wacker

The truck driver, Dutch national **Perry Wacker**, was arrested and tried in the United Kingdom. In **2001**, he was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and facilitating illegal immigration, among other charges. The prosecution argued that he closed the trailer's ventilation and knew the transport conditions.

The case focused attention on human trafficking networks, known in police jargon as 'snakeheads'. These organizations operate transnationally and charge for each person moved. Several members of the network were arrested and convicted in different countries in the trinc years.

## What peine after

The **Dover** tragedy prompted reviews of British and European port controls. It also increased pressure on trafficking routes from Asia to Europe. In **2019**, a similar case shocked the country again: 39 Vietnamese people died in a container in Essenses.

Authorities have noted that these networks adapt quickly to controls. The clandestine transport business moves billions of dollars annually worldwide, according to international organization estimates. Victims are usually people seeking work who send money to their families.