Six Jailed Over 27 Years for Ruthless Channel Migrant Smuggling Gang
Six members of a cunning crime ring have been locked up for a combined 27 years and seven months for smuggling migrants across the Channel in a dangerous speedboat operation targeting the Kent coast.
Speedboat Stopped in Kent: Migrants Found on Board
On 3 August 2018, officers from the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), backed by Border Force, the National Crime Agency, and Kent Police, swooped on a rigid hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) landing at Deal, Kent.
Four Vietnamese migrants were caught stepping off the boat from France and attempting to slip into a waiting vehicle. They were stopped in a police operation triggered by surveillance and Border Force coastal patrols.
Organised Crime Network Busted
Following the arrests, seven gang members faced conspiracy charges to facilitate illegal immigration. Six of them were sentenced at St Albans Crown Court to hefty prison terms for their roles in shuttling migrants from France and Belgium between April and August 2018.
The ringleaders, Nazmi Velia (32), jailed for five years and four months, and Hoa Thi Nguyen (49), who got eight years, masterminded the operation exploiting migrants for labour.
Transporters Egert Kajaci and Thomas Mason were also handed long sentences, with Kajaci’s sentencing delayed. Three others received jail terms ranging from nearly two to two and a half years for key parts in the smuggling ring.
Migrants Risk Lives in Deadly Channel Crossings
“This was a professional, well-organised conspiracy purely motivated by financial gain,” said the judge. “The group showed a callous disregard for safety.”
One migrant witness revealed he had no idea where he was being taken. He clung for life on the speedboat’s strap, with no lifejacket, crossing the busy Channel in pitch darkness.
Law Enforcement Praise Teamwork in Tackling People Smuggling
Detective Inspector Trevor Davidson, who led the probe, said:
“We witnessed failed attempts before successfully stopping the gang landing migrants in Walmer. The operation was not only illegal but put lives at risk for profit. Justice has been served, but we remain vigilant.”
Border Force’s Gordon Scarratt highlighted multi-agency efforts, including a new joint coordination centre in Calais and boosted patrol cutters, enhancing disruption of people smugglers.
Steve Reynolds from the National Crime Agency added:
“This shows smugglers’ total disregard for life, treating desperate migrants like a commodity. We continue working with police and Border Force to bring these criminals to justice, both in the UK and abroad.”
Another Gang Member Fined in France
An eighth member, Patrick Ward, was prosecuted in France, receiving a six-month suspended sentence, a £2,000 fine, and a three-year ban from entering France.
This crackdown sends a clear message: the UK’s borders will not be a playground for ruthless people smugglers.
