Four taxi drivers who were part of a conspiracy to smuggle illegal migrants to France in the back of lorries have been sentenced following a National Crime Agency investigation.

Kingpin Madjid Belabes, 54, was estimated to have made nearly £290,000 by orchestrating the plot to smuggle the migrants out of the UK.

Belabes, who charged £1,200 a time, arranged the movement of migrants to mainland Europe 26 times between December 2022 and September 2023. He was also seen transporting migrants along with those he recruited to help.

In one attempt, 58 migrants who were Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan were discovered by officials in France. All those Belabes and his gang transported had been in the UK on tourist visas before the migrants tried to enter France illegally. The migrants entered the UK specifically as a method of entering mainland Europe.

Algerian-born Belabes, of Camberwell Grove, Camberwell, London, was jailed for 10 years and nine months in November for people smuggling and possessing criminal property (£11,000 in cash).

Today (Fri 13 March), four taxi drivers who are also Algerian nationals, were sentenced for their roles in collecting migrants in London and delivering them to waiting lorries in lay-bys and service stations in Kent for the onward leg.

Taxi drivers Samir Zerguine, 52, Mourad Bouchlaghem, 44, Mohamed Mabrouk, 44, Mohamed Issaoun, 50, admitted participating in the activities of an organised crime group, when they appeared at Kingston Crown Court. The drivers made multiple trips.

A fifth man, unemployed Said Bouazza, 56, also Algerian, made one trip and was convicted of the same charge by a jury. Belabes used taxi drivers because if stopped by police they would have a credible reason for having multiple people inside.

NCA investigators proved four of the drivers were linked to Belabes from call and text records found on their mobile phones. And Mourad Bouhlaghem was captured on CCTV meeting Belabes in London and placing people in his car. Some of the other drivers were also present.

John Turner, NCA senior investigating officer, said: “We know that some gangs and drivers involved in smuggling migrants out of the UK are involved in smuggling into the UK too. Like Madjid Belabes, their only concern is making money. Belabes and these taxi drivers didn’t care about the potentially fatal dangers facing migrants hidden in lorry trailers.

“These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities. Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.”

Andrew Hudson, a specialist prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Smuggling people across borders in lorries is highly dangerous but thankfully in this case it was not fatal.

“These five men played their part in an organised crime ring out of pure greed and selfishness. Not only does people smuggling put lives at risk but it’s also an attack on UK border security. The CPS and our law enforcement partners will continue to build the strongest cases against suspects, whatever role they play.”