Marius Mihai Draghici was ‘essential cog’ in operation that caused death of 39 people, court hears
A driver 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.
