British Pilot Jailed for Smuggling Albanians into UK by Air
A British pilot with a criminal past has been locked up after a botched attempt to fly four illegal Albanian immigrants into the UK. Richard Styles, 53, from St Albans, was caught red-handed at Deenethorpe Airfield near Corby, Northamptonshire, in March 2022.
Luxury Smuggling Flight Thwarted by NCA
Styles was flying a twin-engine Piper Seneca plane from Belgium, carrying three men and one woman trying to dodge UK immigration checks. The National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation revealed Styles was working with 68-year-old aviation enthusiast Silvano Turchet. The duo rented the six-seater for £1,500 from a Lincolnshire airfield. Turchet paid to store the plane at Deenethorpe before flying to Belgium on 23 March to arrange the illegal passengers’ pickup.
They were allegedly in touch with an Albanian contact known as ‘Tim K’, who organised the rendezvous in Belgium. When the plane landed back in the UK, NCA were ready. Styles joked during arrest, “I normally get arrested for drugs, so it’s a bit strange.”
Accomplices and Criminal Track Records Exposed
The four immigrants were nabbed by Northamptonshire Police, working alongside NCA, in a Mercedes taxi driven by Vijayakumar Sivakumar, 43. Sivakumar, with previous convictions for smuggling, had been in contact with ‘Tim K’ before the flight. Styles’ dark history includes smuggling ecstasy and cannabis across Europe and Jersey, resulting in a 12-year jail sentence in 2006. Both Styles and Turchet were also connected to a 2017 Dutch people smuggling case.
Heavy Jail Sentences for Smuggling Trio
Turchet was arrested in Nottingham in July 2022 and denied involvement despite phone records linking him to the airfield and Styles. All three men—Styles, Turchet, and Sivakumar—were charged with facilitating illegal immigration. Styles and Turchet pled guilty, while Sivakumar was found guilty by a jury in February 2023.
On 28 April at Leicester Crown Court, Styles received seven years, Turchet seven and a half, and Sivakumar four and a half years behind bars.
“Styles was a career criminal using his piloting skills for smuggling, this time offering a luxury service to illegal immigrants,” said NCA Regional Head Jacque Beer. “We urge the public and aviation community to report suspicious activity at airfields.”
If you spot anything suspicious, call 0300 123 7000 quoting ‘PEGASUS’ or report at gov.uk/report-immigration-crime.
Sarah Jennings, CPS Specialist Prosecutor said: “This was a well-coordinated attempt to dodge immigration controls. Thanks to close work with the NCA and international partners, justice has been served.”
The operation included support from Border Force, Immigration Enforcement, and Northamptonshire Police.
