UK convicts more suspect in case 39 Vietnamese died in truck

According to the DPA news site, Dragos Damian, 28, was extradited from Italy to the UK for trial following an investigation into the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals in the container of a truck traveling from the port of Zeebrugge (Belgium) to the port. Purfleet in the county of Essex (England) on October 23, 2019.

Dragos admitted to having been waiting at a rendezvous to ferry migrants to London when the tragedy struck. After discovering the bodies, Dragos fled “in part out of panic and fear”.

Functional forces searched the container containing the bodies of 39 Vietnamese people in Essex, England in October 2019. Photo: Reuters

This Romanian man also admitted that he had allowed the use of his car in similar cases before. Dragos was arrested on the outskirts of Milan (Italy), before being brought back to the UK in September 2021. This person admitted his crimes in November of the same year.

UK prosecutors say Dragos was part of a “complex, long-running and highly profitable plot” to bring illegal immigrants to the UK in the back of a truck, and has been involved in the scheme since May 2018 to October 2019.

“The defendant’s role was to authorize the use of his car to pick up immigrants in the UK, and at one point to drive himself to Collingwood Farm (where the immigrants were transported),” prosecutor Jonathan Polnay said. said.

Previously, a British court in January sentenced four suspects to between 13 years and 4 months to 27 years in prison for manslaughter and involvement in human trafficking. Meanwhile, the Belgian court also sentenced a Vietnamese man named Vo Van Hong (45 years old) for participating in this conspiracy.

During the investigation, police identified at least six trips to smuggle migrants, each paying 13,000 pounds (equivalent to 17,000 USD) to enjoy VIP services. In October 2019 alone, traffickers made more than £1 million ($1.3 million).

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