Britain: Smuggler jailed for death of 39 people

Great Britain
39 people suffocated in the truck: smugglers have been in prison for more than twelve years

A smuggler has been sentenced to 12 years and seven months in prison after 39 Vietnamese died by suffocation in a truck en route to England. The 50-year-old man from Romania had pleaded guilty to manslaughter and aiding and abetting illegal entry in a London court, the British news agency PA reported on Tuesday. The case made headlines around the world in 2019.

Smugglers brought to UK from Romania

The man was after fled Romania but was arrested and extradited last year. According to the indictment, he was the “right hand man” of the leader of the smugglers’ gang, also a Romanian. The dead were discovered in October 2019 in the airtight trailer of an articulated lorry in Essex, east of London. The youngest victim was 15 years old. From inside the trailer, the migrants sent heartbreaking messages to their relatives. The truck was brought to England by ferry from Belgium. The migrants paid £13,000 each for the crossing.

Four men were sentenced to between 13 and 27 years in prison last year in connection with the case. There were other convictions in Belgium.

tkr
DPA