Man involved in smuggling people into the UK in the back of a van is convicted

A man involved in smuggling people into UK has today (29 August 2024) been found guilty of assisting unlawful immigration.

Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was found guilty following a trial at Lewes Crown Court of assisting unlawful immigration into the UK.

The Crown Prosecution Service brought the charge against Mustafa following his arrest at the scene and an investigation by The Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations Immigration Enforcement Unit.
 

The prosecution proved that the defendant was involved in smuggling seven Vietnamese nationals into the United Kingdom from France hidden in the back of a van.

Al Mustafa was the driver of a van which was stopped at Newhaven, Sussex, on a ferry that had travelled from Dieppe, France. Border force and police found that this van had carried seven Vietnamese migrants concealed within a specially designed and constructed hide area in the rear of the van. 

The migrants were discovered after they were heard screaming for help by a crewman on the ferry.  The captain of the ferry and members of the crew helped the migrants to escape from the hide by breaking down a false wall within the rear of the van which hid the seven people.  All of those found in the van received urgent medical treatment at the scene due to suffering from lack of oxygen caused by the conditions in which they had been transported. They all required hospital treatment with one of their number remaining in a coma for some weeks after the incident.

Lauren Doshi, 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.”

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 Investigations regional lead south, Chris Foster, said: “Today’s conviction is a clear example of the lengths evil people smugglers will go to to make cash. The lives of seven 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.”