Man wanted in connection with Essex lorry deaths arrested in Romania

Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici is suspected of being part of a human trafficking network

48 year old Marius Mihai Draghici
Author: Sam Russell, PAPublished 11th Aug 2022

Police in Romania have detained a man who is suspected of being part of a conspiracy that led to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese nationals who were found in the back of a lorry in Essex.

The victims' bodies were discovered in a lorry trailer, which had been transported by ferry from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Purfleet in Essex, early on October 23, 2019.

Last month, Essex Police made a public appeal to trace Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici, who is suspected of being part of the network which co-ordinated immigrants' journeys to the UK.

The force said on Thursday that 48-year-old Draghici has been detained by Romanian police in the city of Bucharest.

It follows the execution of a European Arrest Warrant, and an application is now being made to extradite him to the UK.

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