Southampton man sentenced to 10 years for people smuggling and drug offences
Ibrahim Sollaku was sentenced at Winchester Crown Court today
Last updated 23rd Jan 2026
A Southampton man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after admitting to his role in attempting to smuggle five men from Belgium to the UK by lorry and supplying Class A drugs.
Ibrahim Sollaku, 33, was arrested by officers in Bournemouth in November, and a search of his Southampton home led to more than 90 street deals of cocaine being seized.
Sollaku pleaded guilty to both the people smuggling and drug offences in December.
At the same time as his arrest, a team in Belgium detained a man and stopped five Albanian men from boarding a lorry to travel to the UK.
At Winchester Crown Court today, the judge handed down a sentence of seven years and six months for the immigration offences, and two years and six months for the drugs offences, to run consecutively.
Anja Hohmeyer from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Ibrahim Sollaku played a leading role in this criminal conspiracy to bring people from Albania illegally to the UK.
“This has been a successful joint operation between the UK and Belgium to capture and disrupt international people smuggling gangs.
“Sollaku could have chosen to get a job and make a life for himself and his young family, but he’s thrown that all away.
“Those who get involved in immigration crime not only risk destroying their lives but also those of their family members.”
DCI Adam Smith from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit said: “Sollaku is clearly a well-connected criminal, shown by his involvement in both organised immigration crime and class A drug dealing.
“He wasn’t concerned with the risk or harm both of those offences cause – just in making money.
“Criminals like Sollaku look to make huge profits by facilitating illegal journeys.
"The high price tags they charge often help to strengthen their criminal networks, causing yet more harm to our communities.
“The more information we have to help identify suspects and potential victims, the more we can target the networks behind it.”