– Gheorghe Nica
Gheorghe Nica was caught on camera as he topped up burner phones in Tilbury on October 13 2019 (Essex Police/PA)
Romanian Nica was said to be the “key organiser”.
A friend and ex-colleague of Irish haulage boss Ronan Hughes, he spent years working in Ireland and England as a lorry driver and mechanic.
The 43-year-old was also involved in the “large scale” smuggling of cigarettes and whisky, according to Valentin Calota.
Nica, who knew the lorry yards in Essex well, paid Calota and others in the Romanian community cash in hand to drive migrants to London under his close supervision.