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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Emily Dugan and agency

People smuggler jailed for 12 years over Essex lorry deaths

Marius Mihai Draghici Gheorghe Nica Essex Maurice Robinson Ronan Hughes
Forensic police officers attend the scene
The driver was sentenced for manslaughter after 39 men, women and children were found dead in a trailer. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

A man who was an “essential cog” in a people-smuggling gang that caused the death of 39 men, women and children in a lorry in Essex has been jailed for more than 12 years for manslaughter.

The victims, who were all Vietnamese nationals, died after being crammed into a sealed airtight container on a ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019. They had agreed to pay up to £13,000 each for a “VIP” service to come to Britain for a new life.

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