People Smuggler Jailed Nearly 10 Years for Daring UK Migrant Plot
A ruthless people smuggler who bragged about sneaking 50 migrants into England every week has been slammed with a hefty prison sentence of nine years and nine months.
Decrepit Boat Packed with 69 Albanian Migrants
Arthuras Jusas, 35, from Lambeth, was caught as part of a six-man gang attempting to smuggle 69 Albanian migrants into Norfolk aboard a battered 60-year-old fishing vessel. The boat – purchased for around €20,000 in Latvia – was unfit for the mission, carrying only 21 life jackets and a lifeboat for 20.
The crew ran the vessel aground twice before it neared its target. The decrepit boat, named Svanic, set sail from Belgium’s Ostend area but was intercepted by UK Coastguard and escorted into Harwich port after being spotted by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force in a joint operation.
International Sting Nets Smuggling Gang
The NCA’s investigation kicked off after Portuguese authorities, alerted by Swedish counterparts, reported suspicious activity linked to the vessel. Three crew members – two Ukrainians and a Latvian – were arrested onboard, while further phone and laptop evidence led to the arrest of Jusas and his conspirators in England.
The gang used messages and audio files to coordinate the operation. Jusas boasted in a message about plans to “bring every week 50 people” into the UK, showing their ambitions to expand this illegal trade.
Heavy Sentences for Smugglers
- Arthuras Jusas (UK-based Lithuanian) – 9 years 9 months
- Sergejs Kuliss (Latvian, Newham) – 9 years
- Kfir Ivgi (Israeli, Finchley) – 10 years
- Alexsandrs Gulpe (Latvian) – 8 years
- Igor Kosyi (Ukrainian) – 7 years
Volodymyr Mykhailov was found not guilty.
NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland slammed the gang’s greed: “These men had no qualms about smuggling vulnerable migrants on an unseaworthy vessel with ambitions to bring in hundreds more. I’m glad they now face lengthy jail terms.”
The case demonstrates the relentless crackdown on people smugglers exploiting desperate migrants and risking lives on unsafe vessels.
