Britons jailed in France for smuggling migrants

Jun 23, 2015

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One of the 10 sub-Saharan migrants who were rescued by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Services receives medical care upon their arrival to Tarifa's port in the province of Cadiz, southern Spain, 18 June 2015. The migrants were rescued from a toy boat when they were trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to reach the Spanish southern coasts — One of the 10 sub-Saharan migrants who were rescued by the Spanish Maritime Rescue Services receives medical care upon their arrival to Tarifa’s port in the province of Cadiz, southern Spain, 18 June 2015. The migrants were rescued from a toy boat when they were trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to reach the Spanish southern coasts

At least 100 Britons have been jailed in France in the last year for trying to smuggle migrants through the port town of Calais to Britain, media reported.

According to prosecutors, most of them had hidden the migrants in their own cars, BBC reported.

The deputy prosecutor for the Calais region’s main court, Julie Colaert said, “In the last two years we have seen more and more English smugglers.”
“Trafficking gangs are employing them to take people across in their own cars.”
“The migrants pay a lot of money because it is sold as guaranteed passage to Britain,” Colaert added.

In the recent case, Basir Haji was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

He was caught at the Calais ferry terminal with two Iraqi men hiding in the boot of his car. He admitted agreeing to smuggle them to Britain for 500 pounds ($788).

The Iraqi men told police that their families had each paid 4,500 pounds ($7,097) for them to be transported to Britain.