Lorry driver hid migrants including eight children in used tyres while trying to smuggle them into Britain

The lorry was intercepted close to Bruges in a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Belgian Police, where all 10 migrants were rescued in 2020.

Had the HGV not been pulled over, the migrants would have been loaded onto a ferry to Purfleet-on-Thames, in England.

McLaughlin, who has since died, was arrested close to Bruges. He was then bailed and fled the country, being convicted in absence in October 2021.

He was sentenced to 37 months imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of €88,000.

McLaughlin was recruited by Eoin Nolan, 53, and Daniel Loughran, 36, who worked together from England and Northern Ireland to organise the smuggling.

The pair have now been convicted of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration following a five-week trial at Maidstone Crown Court.

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They will be sentenced on April 16.

Nolan, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, instructed McLaughlin to pick up the HGV and cross the Channel to pick up the migrants from their predetermined rendezvous point in the Rue de Forts area of France.

McLaughlin and Nolan remained in contact throughout the drive.

The migrants were loaded into the lorry where they were hidden in tyres. McLaughlin then began the drive to Zeebrugge in Belgium.

The lorry was intercepted by authorities at a parking area in Gentbrugge, Belgium on March 5, 2020 – less than five months after 39 fellow Vietnamese nationals died trying to make a similar journey.

Loughran, from Armagh, Northern Ireland, sourced another lorry to meet the migrants in Kent the following day.

He worked with another gang member, Wayne Sherlock, 44, who was given a four-year prison sentence following a separate trial at Maidstone Crown Court in June 2020.

David Cunningham, NCA Branch Commander, said: “Despite the tragedy that led to the deaths of 39 migrants in Purfleet in 2019, this gang sought to take advantage of this group of Vietnamese nationals, most of whom were children, putting them at risk by smuggling them across the English Channel. Each of the migrants were charged thousands of pounds and hidden in inhumane conditions.

“These smuggling gangs show complete disregard for the safety and wellbeing of those who decide to use these dangerous methods to try to enter the UK. Once payment is made by the migrant they simply become a commodity for transportation.

“Tackling organised immigration crime and bringing all of those involved to justice is a priority for the NCA and we will continue to work with all of our international partners to stop this inhumane, illegal and dangerous criminality.”