Gang member jailed for smuggling Afghan migrants into UK in coffin-like hides

A man has been jailed for his role in a people-smuggling operation that saw dozens of Afghan migrants trafficked through Europe to the UK in coffin-like structures built from wardrobes.

Adrian Constantin, a 36-year-old Romanian national who was extradited back to the UK to be tried after fleeing the country, was sentenced to three years and two months in prison at Birmingham Crown Court today after pleading guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and failing to appear for an earlier court hearing.

35 Afghans, including children as young as two and a person with physical disabilities, were screwed into purpose-built hides and smuggled into the country in the back of vans.

Constantin became the sixth person to be jailed over six separate smuggling attempts across UK ports between August and October 2019.

The coffin-like hides, from which the migrants had no way of escaping without the assistance of the organised crime group, were used to conceal up to seven people per journey.

Constantin acted as a ‘minder’ to facilitate the smuggling attempts, providing assistance to other gang members when they were unavailable and transporting vans and drivers to France from Dover.

The evidence showed that Constantin made efforts to cover his tracks by travelling as a foot passenger back to the UK while the smuggling attempts took place.

He fled to Romania after his first court appearance in 2022. He was arrested in Romania and extradited back to the UK following co-operation between the Home Office and the Romanian authorities.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said: “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.”

The sentencing of five other gang members in May 2022 followed a two-year investigation by Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigations (CFI) Unit.

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.”