ALL of the people convicted in relation to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children who died in the back of a sealed container, had a history of smuggling.
Four of the six are Irish, and all are believed by the authorities to have been involved the transportation of people on at least two previous occasions.
Ronan Hughes who had been living in Tyholland, Co Monaghan was the leader of the lucrative operation that used smuggling routes established over many years, simply switching from other contraband such as cigarettes to people.
Drivers, many with lorries registered in Bulgaria in order to avoid background checks required in the UK and Ireland for legitimate haulage drivers, were lured in by the high profits and low risk, only too willingly to transport desperate migrants.
If caught the drivers claimed not have known that people were in the trailer, escaping on most occasions with a fine and a slap on the wrist.
To be successful, legitimate haulage contracts are necessary to create the illusion of a functioning business and give the drivers reason to travel in and out of Europe.
This often means undercutting rivals and charging ridiculously low fees to transport goods, something honest haulage companies had been raising with authorities for many years.
It took something like the Essex tragedy to make the world sit up and take notice of an unscrupulous trade that cares little for the people they're transporting.
Charging up to £10,000 per person, with the drivers getting around £1,500, all of those convicted were living lavish lifestyles funded by their illegal activities.
Hughes (41) and driver Maurice Robinson (26) admitted the manslaughter of the migrants who were found dead in the sealed lorry trailer in October 2019. Both would have made over £50,000 each from the journey.
When first arrested Robinson's supporters started a Facebook campaign claiming his innocence, attacking any journalist reporting on the case claiming it to be 'fake news' saying the Co Armagh man was himself a victim and simply raised the alarm.
The reality of the situation is that Robinson didn't call 999 when he opened the trailer, instead he first called Hughes, smashing the mobile phone he used to make that call and putting it down a drain close to where he parked.
Hughes sent him a message beforehand telling Robinson: "Give them air quickly, but don't let them out", he replied with a thumbs-up emoji.
Greed meant they had packed so many people into the trailer that there was never going to be enough air to sustain them throughout the journey.
Eamonn Harrison (24) from Mayobridge in Co Down was the last person to see the migrants alive.
It was his third crossing that police know of, having taken people the same route twice in the previous two weeks.
Lorry driver Christopher Kennedy (24) also from Co Armagh, was found guilty of conspiring to assist illegal immigration.
He had previously picked up containers with Vietnamese nationals inside on at least two occasions.
People smuggler Gheorghe Nica was the middle man, the people trafficker, his conviction is significant and sends out a message to all those who exploit desperate migrants for financial gain.
Another man Valentin Calota, 38, of Birmingham, was found guilty of conspiring to assist illegal immigration.
This was a large and complicated case involving six defendants and numerous witnesses and yet was concluded in just over a year despite Covid delays.
While the conviction should send out a message, given the large sums of money involved, this is unlikely to be the last tragedy of its kind.
