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Two lorry drivers have been sentenced to significant prison terms after being caught attempting to smuggle nearly 50 people from the UK into France in the back of their vehicles.
Romanian nationals Sorin-Costinel Ivan, 46, was jailed for three years and four months, and Marius Bajenaru, 44, received a sentence of two years and eight months. Both men were arrested following a National Crime Agency (NCA) operation at Dover Port on September 18, 2025.
Bajenaru was found with 17 migrants concealed in his van, along with almost £4,000 in cash. Ivan’s HGV trailer contained 32 people, mostly Bangladeshi nationals, and he was found with three bundles of cash totalling £9,950. Both drivers had picked up the groups from a layby on the A20 near Ashford.
Bajenaru confessed to the crime, stating he stood to be paid approximately £200 for each person he smuggled. While Ivan initially denied knowledge of the migrants, he later changed his plea, admitting to facilitating illegal immigration.
The NCA warned that organised crime groups are actively targeting professional drivers for both sides of the Channel smuggling route. NCA Senior Investigating Officer John Turner stressed the dangers of this crime:
“People smuggling gangs will pitch this as a low-risk way of making extra money to drivers, but as this case shows it is anything but. Those caught face potentially life-changing prison sentences.”
He added that the criminal networks “show no regard for the safety of those they transport, treating people as commodities.”