South Korean authorities tracked down and arrested suspects who evaded capture for five years, according to police officials.

A Thai police representative last month expressed gratitude for the cooperation made possible by the deportation agreement signed between the two countries in 1999.

“Extradition is a reciprocal process, and this case sets a precedent for our own fugitives to face justice here,” Lee Young-pil, head of the international crime section of the Gyeonggi-do Southern Police Agency, said in a speech on Asia This Week.

Thai police believe most of the refugees suffocated in the cramped space where they were deprived of food and water. There were many underage girls among the dead.