Smugglers’ Rusty Trawler Busted Off Norfolk Coast
A dodgy smuggling gang’s rusty 30-metre trawler, the ‘Svanic’, was intercepted off Norfolk last November, stopping a dangerous migrant attempt in its tracks.
The battered boat, nearly 60 years old with just 20 lifeboats for 69 migrants, had set off from Belgium’s Ostend heading to Great Yarmouth. Authorities swooped in, escorting it safely into Harwich international port.
High-Seas Drama Uncovered by UK and European Agencies
The National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, HM Coastguard, Immigration Enforcement, and Essex Police all joined forces to make the bust. The tip-off came from the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon after Swedish officials had helped the vessel following an earlier grounding.
Originally bought in Latvia for €20,000 in 2020, the trawler ran aground twice before scooping up migrants in Belgium.
Crackdown Reveals UK-Based Smuggling Ring
- Three crew members arrested: Igor Kosyi (57) and Volodymyr Mykhailov (49) from Ukraine, and Alexsandrs Gulpe (44) from Latvia.
- 69 migrants handed to Immigration Enforcement.
- A laptop seized from the vessel exposed the UK gang masterminding the operation.
Latvian Sergejs Kuliss, 32, based in London’s Newham, supplied the laptop and was tracked by phone evidence to Norfolk on the night of the attempt. He was in constant contact with fellow conspirators Lithuanian Arturas Jusas, 35, from Lambeth, and Israeli Kfir Ivgi, 39, from Finchley.
Bonkers Boastings and Bold Plans Exposed
Phone messages revealed the trio’s callous plans to rake in money from people smuggling. Jusas bragged about bringing “50 people every week” and shared contacts on the “other side” desiring migrant movements to the UK.
Despite the trawler’s poor condition, Ivgi was unfazed: “Yes, yes, yes…I don’t care how it looks like, it’s good.” Great Yarmouth was picked as the landing spot, with just 21 lifejackets on a boat packed with migrants.
Justice Served on Smuggling Gang
The trio was arrested in June 2023 during NCA raids, alongside the crew. Charges of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration soon followed.
At Chelmsford Crown Court, Jusas pled guilty in August. After an eight-week trial, Ivgi, Kuliss, Gulpe, and Kosyi were found guilty exactly one year after the interception. Mykhailov was cleared.
Sentencing on 21 December saw four jailed immediately, with Gulpe’s sentence pending.
NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland said: “These men had no qualms about smuggling vulnerable migrants on an unseaworthy vessel, with plans to bring hundreds more. Their greed is appalling, and we’re pleased they now face lengthy jail terms. We will relentlessly hunt down people smugglers and bring them to justice.”
