A Vietnamese teenager was a key “organiser” in the fatal people smuggling operation which saw 39 migrants suffocate in the back of a container in Essex, a court has heard.

Ngo Sy Tai, also known as Hung Sy Truong, is wanted in Belgium over allegations he ran a so-called “safe house” for his fellow Vietnamese nationals in Anderlecht, Brussels.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if he is convicted over the operation, an extradition hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court heard.

Ngo, who is said to be 18, fled to Berlin and then to Birmingham following the grim discovery of the 39 dead men, women and children in an airtight trailer the morning after it left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge, bound for the UK, on October 22, 2019.

The victims, 10 of whom are said to have passed through Ngo’s four-storey terraced safe house on a quiet backstreet, had hoped for a better life in Britain when they agreed to pay up to £13,000 a head for a “VIP” smuggling service.

Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard Ngo, who would therefore have been just 16 at the time of the deaths, is accused by Belgian authorities of being a member of a criminal organisation, being involved in human trafficking and using forged documents.

Outlining the case for the Belgian authorities, Daniel Sternberg said: “He (Ngo) is described as an organiser for the people-trafficking organisation, arranging accommodation and transit for money.

“The vulnerable position of the people who paid money to be smuggled was abused and minors were also abused.

“A criminal attitude on the part of Ngo and others amounted to gaining money with total disregard to the physical and psychological impact on the victim.”

Mr Sternberg said the migrants kept at the safe house were “forbidden to leave, and were obliged to be silent during their stay”.

He said Ngo also arranged for taxis to take the Vietnamese migrants to a location near the France-Belgium border before they were put on to the lorry bound for the UK.

Mr Sternberg said there was “sufficient evidence” to bring a case against Ngo, potentially this summer.

Joel Smith, representing Ngo, said there was a lack of detail in the “exceedingly poorly drafted” European Arrest Warrant (EAW), which was issued before the UK’s transition period to leave the EU concluded.

He cited a paucity of specifics relating to times, locations and his client’s alleged involvement, and also disputed whether or not Ngo was actually being investigated for 10 of the deaths, after the Belgian authorities said only six left the Anderlecht safe house for the doomed crossing on October 22, with four others leaving at an earlier date.

Mr Smith said: “I cannot advise him (Ngo) because the Belgian authorities have not completed their investigation.”

He added: “The fact that it (EAW) is so unclear speaks volumes as to the lack of particulars.”

The hearing, before District Judge Mark Jabbitt, continues.