ABSTRACT
On June 20, 2000, British customs inspectors conducted a routine check of a vegetable truck that had entered the United Kingdom at the port city of Dover. As they investigated more closely, they were horrified to discover the bodies of sixty Chinese nationals—men and women—who had been sealed inside a refrigerator trailer. Only two of the Chinese were still alive, due to the fact that they were lying close to the rear doors. The others endured a grueling and torturous death as they banged on the sides of the truck or attempted to claw their way through the back door. Eventually they would be subdued by oppressive heat and a dwindling oxygen supply. When investigators finally discovered the Chinese, they found the bodies lying on the truck’s floor, alongside boxes of tomatoes and piles of clothing. Officials later charged the Dutch driver of the truck with fifty-eight counts of manslaughter.
