Russian jailed for attempting to smuggle 22 migrants from UK to France

By Burak Bir

LONDON (AA) - A Russian national has been jailed for more than four years after pleading guilty to smuggling migrants, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) said Saturday.

The NCA said Nikolai Kuznetsov, 39, a heavy goods driver, was jailed for four years and four months after pleading guilty to smuggling migrants from the UK to France.

He was stopped by Border Force officers on Aug. 17 at Dover Docks. After searching his trailer, 22 migrants, including a 5-year-old girl and her parents, were found hiding inside.

"The migrants, who were all of North African origin, were attempting to avoid French border immigration /visa controls," NCA said in a statement.

After being arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry to an EU member state, Kuznetsov pleaded guilty at the first opportunity at Canterbury Magistrates Court. He was sentenced Friday.

"This sentencing sends a clear message to anyone concerned in facilitating illegal migration, to or from the UK, that they will be caught and will receive a custodial sentence," John Turner, an operations manager at NCA said in the statement.