Jail for Wolverhampton man who smuggled migrants from UK to France
He earned around £185,000 arranging travel in lorries
A 25-year-old man from Wolverhampton has been sentenced to more than five years in prison for smuggling migrants from the UK to France in the back of lorries.
Jaskirat Singh was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration earlier this month.
Singh earned approximately £185,000 through his smuggling activities, which took place between December 2024 and March 2026.
Investigation and charges
The operation was uncovered when 11 Indian nationals were found hidden in a trailer at Dover in December 2024.
Follow-up investigations in January 2025 led to the discovery of four more Indians in a lorry bound for France.
This information directed authorities to Singh and his address in Wolverhampton.
Accumulated evidence, extracted from Singh’s mobile devices, included voice notes, images, messages, and videos indicating his involvement in migrant smuggling.
Among the evidence, TikTok images promoted journey crossings to France.
His arrest and charges were facilitated by the Crown Prosecution Service after an interview by Immigration Enforcement officers.
Further revelations
A video found showed £20 notes spread across a bed, and another depicted migrants alighting from a lorry, suggesting a smuggling trip's success.
Singh claimed in a voice note that he arranged for up to 60 people weekly to be transported to France over nine months.
Messages from June 2025 showed discussions with a Romanian mobile about payments for smuggling 15 individuals to France, paying a driver £5,500 for their transport.
The Crown Prosecution Service plans to return to court to seek a confiscation order to reclaim Singh's criminal gains to prevent his future benefit from them.
CPS statement
Peter Cockrill from the Crown Prosecution Service said:
“Jaskirat Singh played a key role in organising the illegal movement of people from the UK to France using lorries, putting individuals at serious risk in the process.
“The evidence showed he was coordinating drivers, arranging payments, and actively involved in a sustained operation over many months.
“We will now apply for a confiscation order to recover as much of his criminal profit as possible.
“The CPS continues to work with partners in the UK and internationally to disrupt the organised immigration crime groups who are responsible for small boat crossings and bring those responsible to justice.”