Man who helped smuggle migrants in lorries jailed

A people smuggler who boasted about transporting migrants from the UK to France in the back of lorries has been jailed.

Jaskirat Singh, 25, from Wolverhampton, said in a voice note he had been organising cross-Channel journeys over four years in an apparent bid to recruit someone to become involved, Canterbury Crown Court heard.

Singh admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration at a previous hearing and was sentenced to five years and three months.

Evidence seized from phones showed messages organising transport, videos of £20 notes spread out on a bed and a TikTok account apparently advertising cross-Channel journeys.

In the voice note, Singh, of Goldthorn Hill, said he had been involved in the operation for four years, sending 60 people per week to France over nine months, the court heard.

Judge Alison Russell said it appeared Singh's business model involved transporting 15 people at a time in HGVs to France, organising pick-ups and drop-offs for drivers.

It is believed he earned more than £185,000, the court heard.

The judge told Singh evidence showed he had been the coordinator and logistics manager, and the offending was "associated with significant financial gain".

She said concealing people in HGVs in "unsafe and cramped conditions" came with significant risks and children may have been involved.

Defending Singh, Talbir Singh KC said he came to the UK aged 18 as an Italian national after his family moved from India to Italy.

The court heard he worked legally in the UK and met co-conspirators while working in construction, earning £4,000 to £4,500 a month.

The barrister said it seemed "incongruous" Singh allowed himself to enter a conspiracy when he had no real financial need, and there was evidence he was "a subordinate, not the architect of a conspiracy".

Following sentencing, Peter Cockrill, district crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service South East, said Singh was an Indian national who played a key role, "putting individuals at serious risk".

Cockrill said the plot was exposed when 11 Indian nationals were found hiding in the trailer of a lorry stopped at Dover in December 2024.

He said that and another incident led officers to Singh and his address in Wolverhampton.

The CPS will now apply for a confiscation order, Cockrill said.

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