Author: News, International and organised crime
Three Ukranian men who used a yacht to smuggle illegal immigrants into the UK have been jailed today (18 May).
Yevhenii Vasylkov hired a yacht called Flamingo from Holland to bring Ukranian nationals into Southwold in Suffolk on 15 October 2017.
Yurii Dzhuraniuk and Mykhailo Roik were then tasked with dropping the illegal immigrants at locations after the yacht had docked.
Four Ukranian nationals were detained by police walking alongside the River Blythe, near Southwold. A further seven, including Vasylkov who chartered the boat using a false identity, were found on board the yacht.
Roik and Dzhuraniuk were stopped in cars travelling away from the boat with further immigrants as passengers, Blackfriars Crown Court heard.
Each of the men denied being involved in facilitating a breach of immigration law by non EU members. However, Vasylkov was found to have chartered the yacht for the 100 mile voyage.
Lorna Vincent from the CPS said: “Vasylkov, Dzhuraniuk and Roik were involved in an organised crime group who rented a yacht with the sole intention of charging people to be smuggled into the UK illegally.
“Evidence put forward by the CPS including CCTV showing Vasylkov arranging to hire the yacht, hotel receipts for rooms booked for the Ukrainian immigrants by Roik and CCTV showing Dzhuraniuk filling up jerry cans of fuel which he delivered to the yacht Flamingo for the return journey, saw the jury find the defendants guilty.”
