UK Border Bust: Romanian Lorry Driver Nabbed Smuggling Migrants at Dover
Driver Caught Red-Handed at Dover
Sebastian Gabriel Podar, 48, from Tuzrii, Romania, was arrested at the port of Dover in the early hours of Wednesday 2 December 2020. His truck was under the microscope as part of Operation Symbolry, a long-running National Crime Agency (NCA) probe into a ruthless organised crime gang smuggling hundreds of migrants in lorries.
When authorities opened the back of the HGV, booked to board a ferry to France, they found nine migrants hidden inside.
Shock Discovery: Migrant Linked to Child Sex Offences
- Among the nine was a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man already wanted by Nottinghamshire police for child sexual offences.
- He was swiftly charged with 20 offences.
- The other eight migrants – from India, Algeria, and Bangladesh – were handed over to immigration officials.
Repeat Offender: Same Truck, Same Crime
Podar’s previous brush with the law came just weeks earlier when police stopped the very same lorry in Edmonton, north London, on 16 October 2020. They found six migrants stashed inside. The NCA charged Podar with two counts of attempting to facilitate illegal immigration.
Initially, Podar denied the charges. But halfway through his trial at Canterbury Crown Court, he admitted guilt. On 19 May 2021, he was sentenced to six years behind bars.
Massive NCA Raids Crack Down on People-Smuggling
On the same day as Podar’s sentencing, over 130 NCA officers stormed east London in raids targeting the people-smuggling masterminds.
- Two men, Mohammed Mokter Hossain, 52, and Noor Ullah, 28, were charged with conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration.
- They appeared at Barkingside Magistrates on 21 May and were remanded in custody, due back at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 17 June 2021.
- Six other men arrested during the raids were released under investigation.
These coordinated efforts show the NCA’s determination to dismantle the networks exploiting migrants and breaking UK immigration laws.
