A people smuggler who planned small boat crossings over the Channel to the UK was given a term of nine years and nine months in jail. It is thought that he was complicit in the smuggling of several hundred migrants.

Investigators at the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) think that Eglantin D., a 24-year-old Albanian national, is responsible for hundreds of migrant transfers over the Channel in 2022. The suspect was found to be a friend of Hewa R., an Iranian national who was convicted of leading a gang that was in charge of smuggling about 10,000 individuals into the UK.

Hewa R. was captured by the NCA in East London in 2022. He was extradited to Belgium and given an 11-year prison sentence in October of last year.

Eglantin D. is believed to have served as an agent for migrants, arranging spaces on boats operated by Hewa R's network and other smuggling groups. Evidence of his activities was found in WhatsApp conversations on Hewa R's phone, revealing discussions about the migrants Eglantin D. sought to transport to the UK. In one message, Eglantin D, saved in Hewa R's contacts as "Nodnol" (London spelled backwards), pleaded, "Pls try to do something tomorrow to send the guys because I have 10 more people waiting for me, cash in hand." In another, they discussed money, with Eglantin D. stating, "Next time bro I'm gonna bring better all together for 10 people 30K pounds."

Further evidence was found in a conversation between Eglantin D. and another suspected smuggler, discussing pick-up locations. Eglantin D. sent a map and coordinates for a spot in Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkirk, stating, "They are waiting near to the water bro."

Suspect believed to have smuggled hundreds of migrants

NCA officers initially arrested Eglantin D. in July 2022 at a flat in the Isle of Dogs in London. During the raid, a bag containing cocaine was thrown from a window, and electronic scales and cutting agents were also recovered. He was then bailed pending further inquiries.

Following additional evidence of his alleged people smuggling activities, Eglantin D. was arrested a second time in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. Investigators discovered he had used a fraudulent passport to open bank accounts for depositing his criminal profits. He was charged with facilitating illegal immigration, fraud, money laundering, and drug supply offences.

Eglantin D. pleaded guilty to seven offenses and was sentenced on Wednesday at St Albans Crown Court. After serving his sentence, he faces deportation.

NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes commented on the case, stating, "[Eglantin D.] acted as a broker for people who wanted to come to the UK illegally, having direct contact with people smugglers operating small boats on the French and Belgian coast. We will never know for sure how many people he was involved in moving, but it is likely to have been hundreds. We do know that he and his criminal associates stood to profit from this arrangement and didn't care that they were risking the lives of those they were transporting. Migrants were charged thousands of pounds. Tackling organized immigration crime is a priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the criminal gangs exploiting people for profit."

More than 14,000 (14,332) people have crossed the Channel so far this year, according to provisional figures released by the UK Home Office ending on July 14. This represents an 18 percent increase compared to the same period last year, when 10,472 people made the crossing.