Lorry driver jailed after smuggling woman and six-year-old into UK after they paid thousands
A man who smuggled a woman and her child, aged 6, into the UK for €25,000 euro has been jailed.
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Polish national Dawid Flis, 37, arrived in his HGV from the Hook of Holland into the Port of Killingholme, North Lincolnshire when he was met by police.
His vehicle was searched by Border Force, who were working with the NCA, where they discovered the woman and child.
They were concealed in the bunk area of the driver's cab.
The woman told police they agreed €25,000 euro to be taken to the UK and had paid €12,500 before the crossing.
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Flis appeared at Grimsby Crown Court where he pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration.
He was sentenced at the same court today on Wednesday July 23 to four years in prison and will be deported after serving his sentence.
NCA Branch Commander Sara Moore said: "Dawid Flis abused his position as a lorry driver to attempt to smuggle a woman and child into the UK.
"Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA and we will continue in our pursuit of individuals who are involved in this criminality at every step of the chain."
One man arrested as part of the same incident has been extradited to Italy. A second remains on bail.
This comes as the first wave of sanctions aimed at key figures in people-smuggling gangs have come into force in a bid to hit those involved in assisting illegal immigration to the UK.
They target 25 individuals and entities including a small boat supplier in Asia and gang leaders based in the Balkans and North Africa.
They also hit "middlemen" putting cash through the Hawala legal money transfer system in the Middle East, which is used in payments linked to Channel crossings.
Albanian Bledar Lala, leader of the Belgian operations of an organised smuggling group, and a company in China that advertised small boats for people smuggling on an online marketplace are among those sanctioned.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said it was a "landmark moment in the Government’s work to tackle organised immigration crime (and) reduce irregular migration to the UK."
He added: "From Europe to Asia we are taking the fight to the people-smugglers who enable irregular migration, targeting them wherever they are in the world and making them pay for their actions.
"My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account."