Two Men Jailed for Trying to Smuggle 39 Migrants Out of the UK

Two Men Sentenced for Attempting to Smuggle Migrants out of the UK

Houcine Argoub, 32, hailing from Bromley, southeast London, and Jamal Elkhadir, 47, from Morocco, have been sentenced for their involvement in a criminal scheme to transport 39 migrants, including a six-year-old boy, out of the UK into France.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) had been monitoring the activities of Argoub and Elkhadir when they met in a layby near Sandwich, Kent, in September 2023. Observations revealed that Argoub was driving a van parked adjacent to Elkhadir’s Moroccan-registered HGV, after which several individuals were observed exiting the van and entering the back of the lorry.

NCA officers intercepted the lorry upon its arrival at the Dover docks and found 39 Algerian and Moroccan migrants inside. The lorry doors could not be opened from the inside, rendering the migrants reliant on external assistance to exit.

Elkhadir was apprehended at the docks on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration, while Argoub was arrested at his residence for the same offence in November 2023.

Initially, Elkhadir claimed to have been transporting cherry tomatoes to three businesses in the UK. He had stopped for a break with the lorry’s doors unlocked, suggesting the migrants may have entered without his knowledge. However, he later altered his statement, alleging that he had been coerced at gunpoint to transport the migrants to France.

Elkhadir and Argoub pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration during their appearance at Canterbury Crown Court. Elkhadir received a sentence of six years and nine months in prison, while Argoub was sentenced to five years and three months.

NCA operations manager John Turner emphasized the dangerous nature of their criminal enterprise, highlighting the risk posed to the migrants and the security of the UK and France’s borders. The NCA remains committed to working closely with domestic and international partners to combat illegal migration and dismantle smuggling networks.