A people smuggler who was found with 39 dead men, woman and children in the back of his lorry has been jailed.
The Vietnamese nationals died in the airtight sealed container as it was being transported by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in October 2019. Marius Mihai Draghici, 50, fled the country and was detained by police in Romania last August and extradited back to the UK.
Last month, he pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to 39 counts of manslaughter and conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. In a televised sentencing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday, Mr Justice Garnham jailed Draghici for 12 years and seven months.
