Two men who ran a people smuggling ‘VIP service’ using a yacht to transport migrants from France to the UK have been jailed.

Ukrainian nationals Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 37, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, were arrested by National Crime Agency officers on an operation in July 2025.

The NCA had been notified of the yacht Uforia’s departure from Le Havre by the Rouen investigative section, acting under the authority of Lille Magistrates.

After tracking the vessel into UK waters off the coast of the Isle of Wight, specialist Border Security Command maritime officers intercepted the yacht and escorted it into Haslar Marina in Gosport, Hampshire.

As well as crew members Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko, the boat was also carrying five passengers, four Albanian male nationals and a Vietnamese female who were being smuggled into the UK.

One of the males was already wanted in the UK after failing to appear in court for drugs offences, indicating he had been in the UK illegally previously.

Two migrants later told NCA investigators how they had been directed to stay in a hotel in Fecamp, France, from where they had been picked up by the Uforia, which had travelled up the French coast from Le Havre on 20 July.

One claimed to have paid £16,000 to be transported to the UK in the boat, while another said they were due to pay £13,000 on arrival.

Working with French Gendarmerie investigators and colleagues from Home Office intelligence, the NCA were also able to link the vessel to people smuggling and evidence a series of previous crossings in the summer months of 2024 and 2025, with the Uforia visiting Brighton and other south coast marinas several times.

In one case, on 10 August 2024, the harbour master at Itchenor in West Sussex reported suspicious activity to police after the Uforia was seen entering the harbour with six migrants on board.

Evidence showed that on another occasion the vessel left Fecamp in France in June 2025 with a suspected three migrants on board and sailed to the Chichester area.

Cherniavskyi, the Uforia’s owner, and Yavtushenko, the skipper, were charged with facilitating illegal immigration.

They both pleaded guilty at Portsmouth Crown Court on 14 November. A judge at the same court today (12 March) sentenced Cherniavskyi to six years imprisonment and Yavtushenko to five years imprisonment. The forfeiture of the Uforia was also ordered.

NCA Branch Commander Saju Sasikumar said: “These men ran what can only be described as a kind of ferry service, moving small numbers of people over the channel each time, but charging them a premium price for the service.

“They stood to make tens of thousands of pounds for each trip, but we were able to work with our French partners to stop this enterprise in its tracks.

“Targeting people smugglers like this remains a priority for the NCA, and we’re doing all we can to disrupt and dismantle the gangs involved, wherever they operate.”

Border Security Commander Maritime, Charlie Eastaugh said: “These smugglers were driven solely by profit, charging tens of thousands of pounds for a ‘luxury’ illegal journey to the UK which couldn’t be further from reality.

“Thanks to dedication of my teams and our close colleagues in France, who work around the clock, we were able to disrupt these criminals who were putting the UK’s border at risk.

“Anyone considering getting involved in people trafficking should be in no doubt that they will face the full force of the law.”

Tim Burton, Specialist Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko were effectively running an illegal migrant taxi service across the English Channel.

“Thanks to the National Crime Agency they were caught red handed and evidence shared by French authorities meant we were able to build an unanswerable case.

“Both knew very well they were bringing in people that had no right to enter the UK but did so anyway to make money.”