On 18 June 2000, just before midnight, 58 dead bodies were found in a lorry in the port town of Dover, United Kingdom.

It was determined that the deceased were illegal immigrants, and likely died of asphyxiation, though carbon monoxide poisoning was not ruled out.

[5] The trailer was owned by a newly formed Dutch haulage company, 'Van Der Spek Transporten', which had been registered days before the incident.

Wacker was arrested at the scene and, in 2001, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for manslaughter[7] for his part in an organised people smuggling operation, coordinated by a Chinese snakehead gang.

[2][6][7][8][9][10][11] The two survivors were initially hospitalised with extreme dehydration;[1] they were subsequently given conditional leave to remain in Britain for four years.