Man jailed for manslaughter after 39 people died in back of lorry

A man has been jailed for his role in a people smuggling operation which resulted in the tragic deaths of 39 Vietnamese men, women and children.
 
Marius Mihai Draghici, 50, has been sentenced today (11 July 2023) to 12 years and seven months imprisonment at the Old Bailey in London.
                                                              
On 22 October 2019, 39 Vietnamese nationals, aged between 15 and 44, were found unresponsive in the back of a lorry in Essex.
 
The victims, and their families, paid significant sums of money to an organised crime group who promised them a safe route and a better life in the UK. The victims died of oxygen starvation after being sealed in the air-tight container for nearly 12 hours.
 
The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Port of Purfleet, in Essex.
 
Following their deaths, Draghici fled the UK and remained in hiding in Europe before his arrest in Romania in August 2022.
 
As a result of collaborative work between the CPS, Romanian authorities, Essex Police and the National Crime Agency, Draghici was extradited to the UK on 28 October 2022 to face 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. He pleaded guilty to all counts on 23 June 2023.
 
Draghici is the tenth person involved in this operation to be sentenced. His role was to be involved in the onward transportation of the migrants once they arrived in the UK.
 
Russell Tyner, Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, said: “Marius Draghici was involved in a sophisticated organised crime group which profited from the desperation of people looking for a new life with an utter disregard for their safety.
 
“It is devastating that thirty-nine people who put their trust in an unscrupulous network of people smugglers have lost their lives because of the traffickers’ sheer greed and recklessness.
 
“Draghici sought to evade the law by fleeing the country. Thanks to the continued hard work of prosecutors in our Extradition and International Units, Draghici was successfully extradited to the UK to face the charges against him and has today been brought to justice.
 
“The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute all those that exploit and profit from people smuggling. We will look to pursue confiscation proceedings against any ill-gotten gains the defendant accrued in this activity.

“My thoughts will always be with the families and friends of the victims.”

Detective Chief Superintendent Stuart Hooper of Essex Police said: “In October 2019, we made a promise to the families of our 39 victims that we would deliver justice. We have never lost sight of that promise and the investigation team members have ensured that we have kept that promise.

“We have been committed to tracking down every person we know to have been involved. Unfortunately for Draghici, he could not stay hidden, and he is now facing the consequences of his actions.

“The victims and their families have been at the centre of this investigation – those families have lost mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, brothers and sisters. 

“This has never been about being triumphant, this has always been about delivering justice for 39 families who had their worlds ripped apart in October 2019.”