A Romanian driver has been jailed for three years and eight months after he was caught in Kent with 17 people in the back of his lorry, destined for the Continent.

Alexandru-dorinel Fuiorea, 29, was stopped at the coast-bound M2 services near Medway with 16 men and a woman stashed in the rear.

Maidstone Crown Court heard today how it wasn't clear why they were hoping to leave the country in October last year.

Prosecutor Emin Kandola said they may have been fleeing the UK authorities or wanting to visit family members in mainland Europe.

Fuiorea claimed he was put under pressure to make the journey and was £17,000 in debt.

Andrew Otchie, defending, said Fuiorea had been in the UK for a number of years and claimed he faced being sacked if he didn't make the trip.

"This was not a sophisticated operation. He knew they were in the rear and just drove the truck without checking."

Fuiorea, of Luton in Bedfordshire, pleaded guilty to human trafficking and possessing cannabis.

The judge, Recorder Alistair Webster QC, said: "This is trafficking of desperate people who were being exploited and this kind of thing attracts severe sentences."

He said that although he accepted Fuiorea came under pressure, "the reality is you drove the vehicle".

Among the people found in the back were nationals of Tunisia, India, Morocco, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

Speaking after the sentencing, National Crime Agency 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.

“The sentence handed to him should serve as a warning to anyone thinking of getting involved in such criminality.

"The NCA and our law enforcement partners are determined to catch you and bring you before the courts.”

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