Men who attempted to smuggle migrants into UK from South Coast sentenced
Two men have been sentenced for assisting unlawful immigration
Last updated 12th Mar 2026
Two men who admitted trying to smuggle migrants into the UK from the South Coast have been sentenced at Portsmouth Crown Court.
Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, was sentenced to six years, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, has been sentenced to five years for assisting in unlawful immigration.
The two Ukrainian men were intercepted by Border Force off the coast of Chichester on 20th July 2025.
As well as crew members Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko, the boat was also carrying five passengers, four Albanian male nationals and a Vietnamese female who were being smuggled into the UK.
In court, prosecution described the operation as a "premium bespoke service" on a yacht named 'Uforia' which saw some migrants paying up to £15,000 euros.
Each trip transported between three and six illegal immigrants to the UK.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said the operation to stop the yacht involved Border Force officers and French law enforcement.
The judge said: "You both were part of an insidious black market, draining families of money and perpetuating the misery of immigration."
Among the migrants who were transported, the court heard there was a young Vietnamese girl, who's age is unknown.
She is now in foster care.
The judge said: "Of particular concern is that on one occasion, you willingly transported a young Vietnamese female travelling alone, who, upon arrival into the UK, was taken into foster care, meaning that she was a particularly vulnerable person.
"Transporting her to the UK is a callous act."
Mr Cherniavskyi was described by the judge to have had more of an "organisational" role in the transportation of migrants, where Mr Yavtushenko was described to have had a "significant role, but lower".
The judge said that the pair would likely be deported at the completion of their sentence.
Tim Burton, Specialist Prosecutor from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko were effectively running an illegal migrant taxi service across the English Channel.
"Thanks to the National Crime Agency, they were caught red handed and evidence shared by French authorities meant we were able to build an unanswerable case.
"Both knew very well they were bringing in people that had no right to enter the UK but did so anyway to make money."
The men previously pleaded guilty to three joint charges of assisting unlawful immigration.