A Vietnamese migrant has been charged after around a kilo of heroin was found during a people smuggling investigation in south east London.
Hoang Ngoc Troung was detained in the Deptford area yesterday (December 4), alongside four other Vietnamese migrants who are believed to have entered the country illegally with him.
The operation was part of an ongoing investigation into an organised crime group suspected of smuggling Vietnamese nationals into the UK.
Two suspected people smugglers have been arrested by the NCA in a south east London operation.
— National Crime Agency (NCA) (@NCA_UK) December 4, 2020
In the same car with them were five Vietnamese migrants, four men and a woman, who it is suspected had been smuggled into the country just hours before. pic.twitter.com/yPGekMkalb
Troung, 49, has been charged with possessing a class A drug with intention to supply.
He appeared at Bromley Magistrates on December 4 where he was remanded in custody until his next court appearance at Woolwich Crown Court on January 6.
Two Vietnamese men arrested at the same time on suspicion of people smuggling offences have been released under investigation.
The remaining migrants are being dealt with by the immigration authorities.
NCA branch commander Matt Rivers said: "People smugglers are ruthless and exploitative, treating migrants as a commodity which they move from country to country for profit.
"Tackling them is a priority for the NCA, and this is bringing operational results in the form of arrests and prosecutions.
"The NCA is targeting and disrupting crime groups at every step of the route, in source countries, in transit, near the UK border in France and Belgium, and - as in this case - those operating inside the UK itself."
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