Lorry driver jailed for bid to smuggle people out of the UK
- Published
A lorry driver has been jailed for trying to smuggle 17 people out of the UK.
Alexandru Fuiorea, 29, from Luton, was stopped at the Medway services of the M20 in Kent on 4 October.
The group of Tunisian, Moroccan, Bangladeshi, Afghan, Indian and Pakistani nationals were found in his lorry, the National Crime Agency said.
Fuiorea, a Romanian national, was sentenced to three years and eight months at Maidstone Crown Court.
He had pleaded guilty to breaching UK immigration law at a hearing on 18 December.
Fuiorea, of Twyford Drive, Luton, had also admitted possessing cannabis and was sentenced to a month for that offence, to run concurrently.
NCA branch commander Andy Noyes said: "The organised criminals behind people smuggling move migrants across borders in both directions. This threatens the security of both the UK and France, while putting lives at risk.
"Enablers like Alexandru Fuiorea make these dangerous trips possible, in exchange for a fee."