People smugglers jailed for ‘dangerous’ migrant small boat crossings between Essex and Europe coast
Three members of a people-smuggling operation which took migrants to the UK in small boats have been jailed.
Albanians Banet Tershana, Klodian Shenaj, Jetmir Myrtaj and British national Desmond Rice were responsible for orchestrating two crossings in October 2022, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
The group used a marina in Brightlingsea, Essex, to fix an inflatable boat named Orca and travel from the county to the Belgian/French coast and back again on 9 October.
Nottingham Crown Court heard on Friday that the group ferried the migrants in small boats despite having too few and inadequate lifejackets.
Derek Evans, from the NCA, said: “Our investigators worked tirelessly to identify members of this people-smuggling network and take action before they could arrange any more dangerous crossings.
“Tershana was the organiser, financier and collected payment from migrants, Shenaj was the conduit between mainland Europe-based facilitators and the UK, and Myrtaj and Rice were integral to facilitating the crossings."
The court heard that Rice, 47, from Aylesbury, purchased a second boat for £22,500, which he transported to the Essex marina with Shenaj, 49, from Nottingham.
On 22 October, Rice filled 12 canisters with nearly £1,000 worth of fuel at a petrol station in Brightlingsea, which he then took to the second boat.
The vessel then travelled to Belgium and back to Essex, where Shenaj and Tershana were waiting.
A third crossing was attempted on 29 October, but NCA officers, who were watching the group, tipped off the Belgian Police and the boat was intercepted as it landed on the coast near Nieuwpoort.
They were attempting to load 12 migrants, including a woman and child, into the boat, but the six life jackets available were unsuitable for use at sea.
After the four were arrested between October 2022 and March 2023, Tershana pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration, while Myrtaj, Shenaj and Rice all also pleaded guilty.
On Friday, Tershana was sentenced to five years in prison, Rice to four years and six months and Shenaj to four years and nine months.
Myrtaj was sentenced on Tuesday to four-and-a-half years in prison.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know