People smuggler jailed after hiding woman in dashboard
A PEOPLE smuggler has been jailed for attempting to sneak a Vietnamese woman into the UK by cramming her into the dashboard of his car.
Photos captured by Border Force officers show the woman wedged inside a tiny, custom-built 4ft by 2ft hideaway behind the Vauxhall Vectra’s glove box.
Slovakian national Jozef Balog was jailed for two and a half years at Canterbury Crown Court yesterday for assisting unlawful immigration.
Steve Blackwell, deputy director of criminal and financial investigations at the Home Office, said: “This is a truly shocking case that shows the callous disregard these criminals have for the lives and safety of the vulnerable people they exploit.
“We have once again shown that those who seek to exploit our border will be caught and brought to justice. I am grateful to the officers who identified this horrific incident and brought the case to a positive conclusion.”
Balog, 33, was intercepted by Border Force officers in June 2022 as he drove his British-registered car through the UK control zone in Coquelles, northern France. He claimed to be returning to his home in Manchester after visiting relatives in his home country.
Border Force officers decided to check the vehicle and, while searching the front passenger side, they spotted the carpet was further forward into the footwell than expected.
They removed the glove box to reveal a Vietnamese woman squashed into the tiny hideaway behind the dashboard. Further investigation showed the vehicle had been modified and parts removed to create the concealed area.
The Vietnamese woman was identified, deemed to be an illegal entrant and served with deportation papers.
Balog pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration in June 2022. Because he has already served 19 months in custody, he can be released on licence having already spent the equivalent of half his sentence in jail. He is expected to face deportation. Vietnamese migrants have been at the centre of some of the most horrific cases of people smuggling including the 2020 scandal when 39 people were found dead in a lorry in Grays, Essex. Four men were jailed for manslaughter.