NOS News•today, 1:46 PM
The Public Prosecution Service is demanding four years in prison, six months of which are conditional, against the truck driver who smuggled 47 people. The 33-year-old man from Gemert-Bakel tried to take the strangers in his truck to the ferry so that they could then go to England.
The man was caught by the Royal Military Police at the border post for the ferry in Hoek van Holland on December 5, 2023. When the sniffer dog struck, the man had to open his car and the people were discovered.
Among the strangers were men, women and children. They came from Iraq, Vietnam, Turkey and Albania, among others, and were hidden among vintage cars.
45,000 euros
The people sat under a tarpaulin that was closed with hooks from the outside. The driver was therefore suspected of human smuggling and confessed during the police interrogation. He would receive 45,000 euros for the smuggling.
“Human smuggling is a reprehensible crime,” the public prosecutor said during the hearing. The officer didn’t just call it illegal because it violated government policy. The vulnerable position of foreigners who were in danger and could not leave the truck without outside help was also discussed.
According to the officer, a stiff prison sentence was the only appropriate punishment. “Especially at this time, when human smugglers eagerly take advantage of the chaos surrounding the refugee problem and enormous amounts of money are made from people who are fleeing.”
