'Barbaric' people smuggler who trafficked refugees as young as 2 into the UK in coffin-like wardrobes put behind bars
7 June 2023, 20:37
A cruel people smuggler who trafficked Afghan refugees into the UK in tiny "coffin-like" wardrobes has been sent to prison.
Listen to this article
Loading audio...
Some 35 refugees, with the youngest a two-year-old toddler, were "literally screwed and fixed" into the second-hand furniture as it was taken from France to the UK.
The migrants could be heard "screaming for their lives" after they arrived in Dover and Portsmouth between August and October 2019, a court heard.
Five men have already been sentenced at Reading Crown Court for their roles in the cruel trafficking operation.
A sixth, Adrian Constantin, 36, fled to his native Romania, but has since been extradited and brought to justice.
Listen and subscribe to Unprecedented: Inside Downing Street on Global Player
Constantin was jailed on Wednesday for three years and two months at Birmingham Crown Court.
During the sentencing, Judge Sarah Buckingham told Constantin: "In 2019 you were part of a group who travelled to and from France using a van bought specifically for this purpose, using different routes and sometimes travelling on false plates.
"The vans would contain second hand furniture bought from charity shops and then customised in order to conceal people inside the furniture and then transported back to the UK.
"Human beings were literally fixed or screwed inside furniture that were put into the vans.The space was confined, a confined space and hot and enclosed with little air. This was repeated and motivated by financial gain.
"It was not motivated for humanitarian reasons. You were not helping out desperate family members, rather, strangers.
Read more: Albanian people smugglers launch £11,000 'premium service' to get migrants into the UK
"No doubt who had paid a lot of money to be transported who were, by their situation, age and circumstances, highly vulnerable.The circumstances of their transportation were barbaric and dangerous.
"They were vulnerable people desperate to escape life threatening circumstances in their own countries.'You helped to traffic them in appalling circumstances for financial reward. They were transported like chattel.:
Craig Evans, who worked as part of the prosecution, said vans were intercepted on six occasions at Dover.
He said: "This case concerns the organised illegal smuggling of people into the UK over a number of months in 2019.'In short vans were purchased in the UK for the purpose of these trips.
"Second hand furniture was bought from charity shops in the UK and put in the rear of the vans as cover.'
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said after the case: "Attempts such as these to smuggle people, including children, into the UK in confined, coffin-like spaces are despicable and clear evidence of why our work to stop these gangs is so important.
"I want to praise the work of our Immigration Enforcement officers who work tirelessly to prevent this activity and thank the Romanian authorities for their co-operation in this case.'Nobody should be risking their lives to come to the UK illegally.
"Today's case shows that we will stop at nothing to crack down on evil people smuggling gangs and bring them to justice.
It came after a two-year investigation by Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) Unit.
UK police ‘to help crack down’ on people smugglers operating in North Africa
Home Office immigration enforcement criminal and financial investigations deputy director Ben Thomas said: "This is an example of the appalling tactics employed by people-smuggling gangs.
"These people will think nothing of crushing young children and disabled people into confined spaces and transporting them across Europe for money.
"Our efforts to track down those responsible for smuggling attempts like this one are not limited to UK soil. We will continue to work with our international partners to ensure criminals operating across the UK Border face justice for their crimes."
