Thomas Maher and his wife Joanne were arrested at 4am
The husband and wife named by MailOnline as the last known owners of the lorry carrying 39 Chinese migrants who froze to death were arrested today after police swooped on their £400,000 Cheshire home.
Joanna Maher, 38, and her husband Thomas, also 38, from Warrington, are understood to have been held on suspicion of conspiracy to traffic people and on suspicion of 39 counts of manslaughter.
The couple told MailOnline last night they sold the lorry cab a year ago to a company in Ireland - but police officers investigating the tragedy raided their property today before searching the couple's beauty salon around the corner, New Hair Don't Care.
The refrigerated trailer carrying the 39 frozen trafficking victims is believed to be owned by a rental firm in Dublin.
A Cheshire Police patrol car arrived at the Irish couple's four-bedroom house at 7am this morning before up to a dozen police officers went inside at around Midday - just before the arrests were announced. The pair have not been seen today.