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Jail for man who attempted to smuggle Iraqi national into UK (29 August 2017)

Date: 29/08/2017
Duncan Lewis, Legal News Solicitors, Jail for man who attempted to smuggle Iraqi national into UK

Canterbury Crown Court has jailed a man who tried to smuggle an Iraqi national through the Channel Tunnel into Britain.

On 22 March 2016, a car was stopped by Border Force officers at the UK Control Zone in Coquelles, France. The driver was Hamid Alhendi, 42, who had a passenger in his car who presented a Dutch identity card.

Border Force officers were not satisfied that the card belonged to the passenger and he was handed to the French authorities.

Alhendi of Hendale Avenue in Hendon was arrested at the scene and the case was passed to Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) team.

Alhendi had told Border Force officers that his passenger was a friend of a friend, whom he had met at a party they had both attended in Paderborn during his trip to Germany. He stated that at the party he had agreed to take the man to London.

Following his arrest, Alhendi’s story changed and he claimed that he had initially agreed to give the man a lift to Amsterdam on his way home – a two-hour detour. However, on his way out of Germany, he said he had damaged one of the front tyres on his car, and being unwilling to travel all the way to the Netherlands on a damaged tyre, he told his passenger that he would instead take him to the UK and pay for his flight from London to Amsterdam.

After a three-day trial at Canterbury Crown Court, Alhendi was found guilty and was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment.

Assistant Director David Fairclough, from the Immigration Enforcement Criminal Investigations team, commented:

“Mr Alhendi’s story simply didn’t add up – our officers built a strong case to disprove his claims, including showing from phone records that the individuals had been in contact before Alhendi left the UK, despite him claiming they had never met before.

“I hope this conviction sends a clear message that people smuggling will not be tolerated – and that the consequences for those who engage in such criminality are severe.”


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