Van driver jailed for smuggling seven migrants hidden in deadly cramped van on ferry to UK
Migrants found gasping for air on ferry crossing
Van driver Anas Al Mustafa, 43, was found guilty of smuggling seven migrants trapped in a tiny hidden compartment during a ferry crossing from France to the UK. The terrified men and woman were discovered screaming for help, barely able to breathe, as they were starved of oxygen on the Dieppe to Newhaven ferry on February 16.
The migrants were stuffed into a secret space just 37cm wide — less than the width of a human chest. The area was so cramped, they had to stand upright with no room to move, suffering dehydration and severe oxygen deprivation.
Ferry crew rescue in dramatic emergency
Ferry workers aboard the Seven Sisters vessel heard desperate cries for help. They smashed through a fake partition with an axe to free the trapped migrants in a life-threatening state. At the East Sussex port, ambulances, police, and Border Force officers swarmed the scene to provide urgent aid.
Prosecutor Nick Corsellis KC said, “The heat created by seven people in such a small space and the lack of sufficient air/oxygen had created a highly dangerous situation. It was no doubt this mortal emergency that forced the migrants to call for help in desperation.”
Two migrants lost consciousness before rescue. All seven were rushed to hospital. Australian nurse and ferry passenger Sari Gehle helped administer oxygen, describing one terrified woman repeatedly saying, “Vietnam, 1,” suggesting their origin.
Driver denies knowledge but jury not convinced
Al Mustafa, a Syrian national living in Swansea, claimed shock and innocence, insisting he had no idea the migrants were hidden inside his van. He described the discovery as “the most difficult day of his life.”
However, during police interviews he mentioned being paid £5,000 for the trip — a suspiciously high fee compared to a previous £500 fare. Prosecutors argued this suggested he knew people were concealed in the vehicle.
Al Mustafa said the figure was a mistake and maintained ignorance of the stowaways throughout the trial. The jury reckoned otherwise, convicting him of assisting unlawful migration.
Sentencing looms, highlighting human smuggling crisis
Al Mustafa, a self-employed construction worker, will be sentenced on September 6. The case shines a harsh spotlight on the deadly risks migrants face and the brutal lengths smugglers will go to on the desperate journey to the UK.
