On Tuesday, Two men from London, Shafaz Khan from Feltham and Choudhry Rashied from Southall, were sentenced to five years and three months in jail each for attempting to smuggle four Indian migrants into the UK.
At Newhaven Ferry Port in March 2019, the border force officers stopped migrants who were found crammed in a hidden compartment behind a stack of dirty tyres in their van.
According to the standard, the migrants were discovered in dangerous and filthy conditions, with no access to clean air.
The hidden compartment of the van was exposed during the thorough search; both Khan and Rashied initially claimed they were returning from a trip to Belgium.
A local cafe is the place where they planned the trafficking. Phone analysis showed the use of “burner” phones to avoid detection, and CCTV footage traced them. The Home Office revealed the duo had hired the van specifically for smuggling operations.
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