A total of 15 Vietnamese, including nine children, were found inside a refrigerated truck trying to enter the United Kingdom on Tuesday.
The group – six adults and nine children – were found hiding in a shipment of sparkling water, the Independent reported. The truck was searched at Sussex’s Port of Newhaven and was believed to have come from the Dieppe port in France.
The children were cold but did not require medical care and have been delivered to social services.
An investigation singled out 29-year-old Romanian Andrut Mihai Duma, the truck driver. Duma was arrested and charged with assisting unlawful entry into the UK. His case will be heard at the Lewes Crown Court on November 26.
Of the six adults, an 18-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman have been deported. The others are being detained at immigration detention centers while their cases are assessed.