Trucker Nabbed at Dover with Nine Migrants Hidden in Lorry
Sebastian Gabriel Podar, 48, from Tuzrii, Romania, was arrested in a dramatic National Crime Agency (NCA) swoop at Dover port in the early hours of 2 December 2020. His HGV was under watch as part of Operation Symbolry, a long-running probe into an organised crime gang smuggling hundreds of migrants into and out of the UK by lorry.
Migrant Stash Includes Man Wanted for Child Sexual Offences
Officers found nine migrants crammed in the back of Podar’s truck, which was booked onto a ferry to France. Shockingly, one of the migrants was a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man wanted by Nottinghamshire police over child sexual offence allegations.
The man was charged with 20 offences. The other eight migrants, from India, Algeria, and Bangladesh, were handed over to immigration authorities.
Repeat Offender: Podar Caught with Migrants in Same Lorry Weeks Earlier
This wasn’t Podar’s first brush with the law. Just weeks earlier, on 16 October, police in north London’s Edmonton stopped the same lorry and found six migrants inside.
Six Years Behind Bars: Podar Pleads Guilty Mid-Trial
Podar faced two charges of attempting to facilitate illegal immigration. He first denied the allegations but flipped to guilty during his Canterbury Crown Court trial.
On 19 May 2021, he was sentenced to six years in prison.
Mass NCA Raids Target People-Smuggling Ring in East London
Podar’s sentencing coincided with a huge NCA crackdown involving over 130 officers raiding east London addresses tied to the smuggling network.
- Two men, Mohammed Mokter Hossain, 52, and Noor Ullah, 28, were charged with conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration.
- They were remanded in custody by Barkingside Magistrates and await a Snaresbrook Crown Court hearing on 17 June 2021.
- Six others arrested were released under investigation.
