Essex Lorry Deaths: This Is How Chinese ‘Snakehead’ Gangs Operate

Henry, who has worked on several cases where there have been links to snakehead gangs, said one of their hallmarks was “extreme and indiscriminate violence” and they are part of an “international, complex network”, adding: “It’s a multi-national industry.”

He said they are often heavily involved in protection, vice and to some extent drugs, as well as the sex trade.

Mike Gradwell, a former detective superintendent who worked on the Morecambe Bay investigation, described snakehead gangs as “criminal travel agents”.

The gangs are said to tout their work in the streets as they hunt for victims with promises of better lives.

Some claim the victims are flown from China to Europe, where they are hidden among cargo in lorries, and driven without food, water, ventilation or toilets.

While some of the migrants make arrangements for the journey willingly, in the belief they will be able to make a better life for themselves in the UK, others become beholden to the traffickers and exploited for the sex trade and forced into labour.