Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was convicted today after ferry staff discovered the migrants screaming for help inside a tiny compartment of his lorry at Newhaven Ferry Port earlier this year.
The miniscule concealment, which was only 2 metres wide, left the 6 men and 1 woman squashed alongside each other and without the ability to move their arms from their sides.
On 15 February 2024, Mustafa booked to travel on a ferry from Dieppe to Newhaven in his van. The next morning, when he arrived in the UK, the migrants were found concealed in the rear of the van behind a fitted panel, which could only be accessed by a tiny hole measuring just 22 inches.
The court heard earlier this week that the group of migrants were heard banging and calling for help in the over-heated van on board the ferry as they were starved of oxygen. They were later taken to hospital and treated for heat exhaustion.
Mustafa was arrested at the scene for trafficking people into the country illegally. As he was arrested, he frantically deleted material from his mobile phone which was discovered later as the extent of his crimes unravelled.
Officers at the scene had already identified Mustafa as someone they had stopped previously for attempting to smuggle shisha and cigarettes into the UK.
Today (29 August), at Lewes Crown Court, Mustafa was found guilty of facilitating the breach of UK immigration law.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said:
This appalling incident could have easily ended in tragedy, and everyone who was squashed inside this criminal's van is incredibly lucky to still be alive.
We are sending a clear message that we will not tolerate this sort of life-threatening activity. Our new Border Security Command will work with partners across Europe to smash the business models of the criminal smuggling gangs and halt their activities long before they reach the UK.
Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations Deputy Director, Chris Foster, said:
Today's conviction is a clear example of the lengths evil people smugglers will go to make cash. The lives of 7 people were put on the line after being crammed into a boiling and tiny concealment in the back of a van with no access to air.
I'd like to thank my investigating teams for their work on today's case. We will continue to tirelessly pursue people smugglers who undermine our border security in an attempt to trade lives for money.
Lauren Doshi, Specialist Prosecutor of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
The defendant in this case attempted to conceal his involvement in smuggling people into this country. A lot of effort had been put into adapting a van to hide people within the back of it in dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions.
All of this was designed to avoid the checks and border controls that we have to prevent unlawful immigration. He put the lives of those that he sought to smuggle into the UK at risk.
The CPS is committed to working with law enforcement to identify and prosecute those involved in people smuggling.
We will seek to pursue any money or assets gained through this criminality with our proceeds of crime division.
