Men ‘smuggled’ 69 migrants

Six men conspired to smuggle 69 Albanian migrants into the UK on a converted fishing boat in a “sophisticated” and “highly lucrative” operation, a court heard.

The near 30-metre-long trawler, called the Svanic, was intercepted by UK Border Force vessels in the North Sea late on November 17 last year and was escorted into Harwich, Essex.

Three men, described by the prosecution as crew members, were arrested when the boat reached land in the early hours of November 18.

Three more men, said to be “UK-based organisers”, were subsequently arrested and all six were charged with conspiring to assist unlawful immigration between September 1 2020 and November 30 2020.

Five deny the charge and are on trial while one of the alleged “UK-based organisers” has admitted the offence.

Tony Badenoch QC, prosecuting, told a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that after it was seized, the Svanic was inspected and found to have been converted, with 19 sleeping berths.

He said the vessel was built in 1962 and it is not known when it was converted.

“As an example, it only had a maximum lifesaving capacity of 20 persons.

“There were 69 migrants and three defendants on board and so there were plainly 20 lifejackets for 72.”

He said that a “crossing of this kind in a vessel of this size is unusual”.

The most common route for Albanian migrants entering the UK illegally from Belgium is in heavy goods vehicles, costing an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 per migrant, or in small boats such as rigid hull inflatable boats costing £2,000 to £4,100 per migrant, Mr Badenoch said.

Arturas Jusas, 35, of Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, admitted at an earlier hearing to conspiring to assist unlawful immigration.

The court was played an audio file from September 3 2020 in which Jusas said: “We’re going to bring every week 50 people, yes, we need to invest now 40,000, if you want, 20 you, 20 me.

“From first trip we’re going to get the money back.”

The Svanic appeared to be heading in the direction of the east coast of England, “in the general direction of

Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth”, at the point that the UK Border Force requested it change course, Mr Badenoch said.

The three men taken from the Svanic and

arrested are Ukrainian nationals Igor Kosyi, 56, Volodymyr Mykhailov, 49 and Latvian national Aleksandrs Gulpe, 44.

Kfir Ivgi, 39, of Corrigan Close, Finchley and Sergejs

Kuliss, 32, of Albert Basin Way, Newham, London were subsequently arrested and are said by prosecutors to be “UKbased organisers”.

The trial continues.

TRIAL: The six men face charges of unlawful immigration involving 69 migrants.