THE ringleader of a people-smuggling operation that came to a horrific conclusion in Thurrock has had his sentence extended after failing to pay compensation to the families of 39 people who lost their lives.

The Vietnamese migrants died after suffocating inside an airtight container, found in Grays on 23 October 2019.

Haulage manager Ronan Hughes, 45, was ordered to pay their families £182,078.90 by a judge in January, as part of a compensation package. 

Folkstone Magistrates' Court heard he still owed £123,698 and a judge sentenced him to an additional year and four months in prison.

The victims.

The 39 people (pictured above) died in the back of a trailer as it crossed the North Sea between Zeebrugge and Purfleet.

Eleven people were convicted in the UK in connection with the case, in which it was revealed the victims had paid significant sums of money for a "VIP" route into Europe.

Hughes was jailed for a total of 20 years at the Old Bailey in February 2021, after pleading guilty to his part in the 39 deaths.

He was initially ordered to pay the families compensation of more than £180,000 in 2023. 

At a hearing in November, Hughes had argued that a property he had built on land belonging to his parents in Ireland was not an available asset for confiscation proceedings.

In January, a judge at the Old Bailey in London decided it was and made the confiscation order of £182,078.90, to be paid in compensation.

The CPS said Hughes had paid £58,380 so far.

Heather Chalk, specialist prosecutor for the CPS, said: "Ronan Hughes led an unscrupulous network of organised criminals that sought to profit from smuggling desperate people. 

"It is devastating that 39 vulnerable people lost their lives."

Eleven people have been jailed in the UK for their part in the people smuggling conspiracy

The Vietnamese men, women and children paid fees rising to £13,000 for what they believed to be a safe passage to the UK. They travelled in a sealed container.

Maurice Robinson

The lorry driver Maurice Robinson made a 999 call after he moved the truck to a nearby industrial estate in West Thurrock and opened the doors to reveal the tragic sight.

He was later jailed for 13 years.