Khue Luu

Oct 28, 2024 | yahoo.com | Andrew Harding |Khue Luu |Patrick Clahane

The Vietnamese people smuggler emerged, briefly and hesitantly, from the shadows of a scraggly forest close to the northern French coastline. “Move away from the others. Come this way, fast,” he said, gesturing across a disused railway line to a member of our team, who had spent weeks posing undercover as a potential customer. Moments later, the smuggler - a tall figure with bright dyed blonde hair - turned away sharply, like a startled fox, and vanished down a narrow path into the woods.

Oct 28, 2024 | yahoo.com | Andrew Harding |Khue Luu |Patrick Clahane

A prolific Vietnamese people smuggler, who entered the UK illegally this year in a small boat, has told the BBC he forges visa documents for other Vietnamese who plan to make the same crossing. The man, whom we are calling Thanh, is now claiming UK asylum and told us he has spent almost 20 years - his entire adult life - in the smuggling industry.