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A UK court has convicted 21 members of a people-smuggling network, including several Bangladeshis, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The network was involved in smuggling people from the UK to France by concealing them inside lorries and helping them evade border checks, according to the NCA.
The group operated between east London and Kent.
The gang charged migrants around £1,400 each for the illegal crossings. Minicab drivers transported them from London to Kent, where they were transferred to heavy goods vehicles bound for France.
Following a three-week trial at Canterbury Crown Court, five men were found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration.
The verdicts brought the total number of people convicted in connection with the network to 21.
Among those convicted, Suhel Ahmed was sentenced to seven years in prison, while Md Ali Hossain and Syed Ahmed received six-year prison terms each, according to reports.
Two other defendants, Kamal Chowdhury and Shamim Ahmed, were due to be sentenced on October 23, while three additional members were scheduled for sentencing on October 27.
Thirteen other members had already received prison terms ranging from two to six years.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer John Turner said the group’s activities threatened the border security of both the UK and France and placed the people being transported at serious risk.
He said the investigation had dismantled the network, from its organisers and recruiters to the drivers involved in transporting people.
The NCA said tackling organised immigration crime remains a priority and warned lorry and taxi drivers against becoming involved in such criminal operations.
