Human Trafficking 'mastermind' Goes on Trial

A Chinese woman, said to be one of Europe's most prolific people-smugglers, went on trial in the Netherlands yesterday for allegedly masterminding the transit of thousands of illegal immigrants from rural China to the UK.

The woman, known as "Ms Ping", appeared with seven others at a court in Rotterdam to answer charges that she had headed one of Europe's most successful human-trafficking gangs since 1999.

At least four of her co-accused allegedly had a hand in organising the passage of the 58 people who died in the back of a refrigerated truck which arrived at Dover in June 2000, although the authorities found no evidence of "direct involvement".

Nine people have already been jailed for their part in the tragedy.

The truck had come from Rotterdam, however, which is where the eight were arrested in May 2002.

Dutch police arrested 77 Chinese illegal immigrants awaiting transit to the UK in a network of Rotterdam safe houses that month, and they believe that thousands of people were concealed in the same way by the gang, six of whom are themselves illegal immigrants.

Prosecutors believe that Ms Ping - her real name has been confirmed as Jingling Hen - was a vital link in a chain which stretched from some of the most impoverished parts of rural China to the UK.

Ms Ping's lawyer said yesterday, however, that the prosecution's case was shaky.

"They are presenting a heap of unconnected information as if it were a coherent whole, but in fact it's full of gaps."

The trial is expected to last nine days and a final verdict to be delivered in a month.