The charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information on the whereabouts of a man suspected of being involved in the death of 39 Vietnamese nationals found in the back of a lorry in Essex.

Essex Police officers want to trace Romanian national Marius Mihai Draghici, 48, who they want to speak to in connection with the suspected manslaughter investigation and suspected immigration offences.

It is believed he has been involved in co-ordinating people trafficking to the UK prior to the high-profile death of the Vietnamese nationals.

The sad discovery of children, women and men was made in the early hours of Wednesday October 23 2019, when they were found unresponsive in the trailer of a lorry by its driver, in Eastern Avenue, Grays.

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The lorry had travelled from Zeebrugge in Belgium to the Port of Purfleet in Essex.

The victims and their families had paid a substantial amount of money to an organised criminal gang, who promised them a new life and a safe passage to the UK.

They tragically suffocated in the back of the lorry.

Ten people have already been charged for their roles in the deaths.

However, Draghici - who also goes by the names Marius Mihai Selaru and Marius Lupu - is still to be found and questioned.

It is known that Draghici has worked in the haulage industry and he has connections in the Bacau area of Romania and in Spain. He was born in Onesti in eastern Romania.

Crimestoppers – which is independent of the police - is supporting the investigation by offering a reward of up to £10,000 for information the charity exclusively receives, either online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by calling freephone 0800 555 111, which leads to the arrest of Marius Mihai Draghici.

Information can be received from abroad via Crimestoppers-uk.org.

Read more >>>  BBC documentary on the 39 Vietnamese found dead in lorry in Grays 

Mick Duthie, director of operations at Crimestoppers, said: “These victims endured a slow and painful death, suffocating in the back of a lorry in Essex.

“This story shocked not only people from the local area, but the whole country and people from across the world.

"We would like their families to fully see justice served. Our charity exists to give people a vital anonymous option if they prefer not to speak to the police or give any personal details. You can tell us what you know and we’ll pass it on for you.

“If you think you know where Marius Mihai Draghici is, please speak up and tell Crimestoppers 100% anonymously.

“As a charity that’s independent of the police, we have always kept our promise of anonymity – we’ve supported millions of people who have trusted us with their crime information since we began in the late 1980s.

“Please call our UK Contact Centre on freephone 0800 555 111, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, or fill in our website’s simple and secure anonymous online form. If you would like to contact us from outside of the UK, you can do so via our website.

“Nobody will know you contacted us and you will be doing the right thing for the families of the victims. You may also be eligible for a reward and no piece of information is too small to tell us.”