Romanian sentenced

Nine years in prison after dangerous smuggling trip

Police set up a roadblock on the B311 near Saalfelden because of the chase.

(Bild: Tschepp Markus, Krone KREATIV)

"Neither the icy road, nor the shots fired by the police, nor the screams of the refugees stopped him": the public prosecutor found clear words at the trial of a Romanian (35) after a life-threatening smuggling trip in Pinzgau. The criminal is to serve nine years in prison.

The criminal record alone shows the criminal nature of the accused: 13 convictions in Romania, Germany and Great Britain were listed by the presiding judge at the trial on Tuesday in Salzburg Provincial Court. That means an aggravated sentence as a recidivist. In order to better understand the criminal dimensions of smuggling, public prosecutor Florian Weinkamer made use of domestic law: "The main accusation is nothing other than an intrusion into our republic. Criminal organizations are constantly trying to violate this domiciliary right in order to make a profit." The accused is also part of such an organization. "Even the lives of the sexually abused are not respected," emphasized Weinkamer.

Chase on the Pinzgau main road
According to the accusation, the trial is about a breakneck drive in which the accused endangered several lives with his driving on November 11, 2023. At the time, the father of four was speeding away from the police in his Renault Traffic with ten Syrian refugees who had entered the country illegally: officers tried to stop the van on the B311 in Pinzgau. In the process, the driver rammed a police car three times. A police officer even fired a shot, causing the projectile to hit a headrest of the towing vehicle and injure a fugitive.

In the end, the vehicle got stuck in the snow and the arrest followed. "The domestic authority went too far with these shots," said defense lawyer Kurt Jelinek, referring to the prosecutor's plea and criticizing the police's approach.

And the Salzburg lawyer emphasized: "The accused is only the smallest fish in the network". The Romanian himself made a confession, saying only: "I am incredibly sorry." He would have received 1500 euros for the trip. The public prosecutor demanded a severe sentence "due to the recklessness". The court followed this opinion: nine years in prison, not legally binding.