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UK court jails human traffickers for smuggling migrants to France

Published : Sunday, 1 November, 2026 at 11:16 AM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

British courts have handed down prison sentences totaling more than 84 years to members of a human trafficking syndicate that charged migrants USD 1,800 each to smuggle them from the United Kingdom into France inside cramped trucks.

The international network primarily facilitated entry for nationals from Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan seeking to bypass European Union border controls to work illegally within the bloc after initially entering the UK on valid visas.

Operating between July 2025 and January 2026, the 21-member syndicate transported migrants from London to Kent using recruited taxi drivers before loading them into heavy goods vehicles and vans to cross the English Channel via ferry.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) intercepted 10 smuggling attempts and detained 196 migrants during the operation, releasing CCTV and thermal imaging footage showing individuals crammed inside tightly sealed vehicle compartments.

Ringleader Suhail Ahmed, 44, was sentenced to eight and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to human trafficking charges, while close associate Suhel Ahmed, 26, received a seven-year sentence for collecting fees and paying taxi drivers.

Minicab driver Robiul Islam, 50, was jailed for five years for transporting migrants to Kent and recruiting fellow drivers, and Romanian national Nicusor Lacatus, 54, received a six-year sentence for coordinating heavy vehicle drivers.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer Jon Turner stated that the verdicts conclude a major investigation into an active trafficking network, serving as a strict warning that illicit cross-channel transport rings face an unprecedented risk of detection and prosecution.

Investigators noted that following the UK's departure from the European Union, a growing illicit market has emerged for smuggling individuals in the reverse direction—from Britain into France—to evade EU identification checks and exploit the UK as a transit hub.

-EM

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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