Madjid Belabes, 53, a jobless man, has been jailed for masterminding an audacious migrant smuggling ring. He hired five taxi drivers to ferry migrants from London to Kent lay-bys and service stations, where they were loaded into lorries bound for France. The gang pocketed around £287,000, charging £1,200 per migrant.
58 Migrants Secretly Cross to France
In a shocking February 2023 incident, 58 migrants from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria successfully reached France before being caught. All had entered the UK legally on visitor visas. Belabes’s operation exploited this to smuggle them illegally across the Channel in lorries.
Guilty Taxi Drivers Await Sentencing
- Four drivers admitted guilt for their role in the organised crime group.
- The fifth, Said Bouazza, was found guilty by jury trial.
- They will be sentenced on 23 January 2026.
Heavy Jail Time for Ringleader
Belabes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and was sentenced to 10 years and nine months behind bars. He also received an 18-month concurrent sentence for possessing criminal property (£11,045 cash). The drivers face serious charges under the Serious Crime Act 2015.
All six men involved are Algerian nationals.
