Indian man jailed for over 5 years in UK-France people smuggling case

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An Indian man who pleaded guilty to smuggling migrants from the UK to France in the back of a lorry has been jailed for more than five years by a court in south-east England.

Jaskirat Singh, 25, was prosecuted by the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for his role in facilitating the illegal movement of non-UK nationals between December 2024 and March 2026.

Earlier this month, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration.

Singh, who was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday (June 18, 2026), made around £185,000 from the illegal operations.

“The plot was uncovered when 11 Indian nationals were found hiding in the trailer of a lorry stopped in Dover in December 2024. The information they provided, along with four other Indians found in a separate lorry traveling to France in January 2025, led authorities to Singh and his address in Wolverhampton,” the CPS said.

The CPS said an investigation led by the Immigration Service uncovered extensive incriminating material on Singh’s mobile devices, including voice memos, images, messages and videos. Some images were saved from TikTok and advertised crossings to France.

He was sentenced to five years and three months after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to assist illegal immigration into a member state.

“Jaskirat Singh played a key role in organizing the illegal movement of people from the UK to France using lorries, putting individuals at serious risk,” said Peter Cockrill, District Crown Prosecutor for CPS South East.

“The evidence showed that he co-ordinated drivers, arranged payments and was actively involved in an ongoing operation for many months,” Cockrill said, adding: “We will now seek a confiscation order to recover as much of his proceeds of crime as possible.”

Singh was arrested and questioned by immigration enforcement officials and subsequently charged.

Among the evidence was a video, believed to have been taken by Singh, showing a large number of £20 notes spread out on a bed.

Another video, taken by someone else, showed migrants getting out of a lorry at an unknown location, with the person filming saying: “From the UK to France”, suggesting it was a successful smuggling incident.

“Singh boasted in the voicemail that he had successfully arranged for up to 60 people to be flown to France every week for nine months, but it is unclear whether he was exaggerating to get more business,” the CPS said.

One string of messages found on Singh’s phone from June 2025 was with a Romanian mobile number and discussed payment for 15 people being smuggled into France in a truck. Chat confirmed the driver was paid £5,500 for the ‘human load’.

The CPS said confiscation proceedings will now be launched to recover the proceeds of Singh’s crime and ensure he does not benefit from it in the future.

Published – 21 Jun 2026 05:50 IST