Driver for gang that smuggled migrants in charity shop furniture convicted

A man has been convicted for being part of a gang that illegally smuggled migrants from Afghanistan into the UK.

Robert Balaceanu, 36, was found guilty following a trial at Warwick Crown Court today, on one charge of assisting unlawful immigration, for his role in a conspiracy to illegally smuggle migrants into the UK.

The court heard that on the evening of 19 August 2019, Balaceanu was picked up in Birmingham and driven to Hounslow for a meeting in the middle of the night.

He then left from Dover to Calais at one in the morning and was given a van and a burner phone, with minders alongside him.

The van contained second-hand furniture from charity shops. On this trip, six migrants were inside a wardrobe that was screwed shut, barely able to breathe.

They returned from France at 10am the following day but were stopped by border forces who discovered the illegal migrants in his van.

The officers had to physically remove the panelling to recover the migrants who were sealed inside the furniture.

Natalie Smith of the CPS said: “Robert Balaceanu’s complicity in this operation is undeniable. Balaceanu tried to ferry illegal migrants into the UK. These people were trapped in the back of his van, barely able to breathe.

“Balaceanu’s conviction shows our resolution to crackdown on these criminal gangs that profit from the misery of some of the most vulnerable people.

“The CPS will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners and support Border Security Command both at home and abroad to dismantle people smuggling gangs through prosecutions and cross-border cooperation."

He is to be sentenced on 16 June 2025.