Sebastian Gabriel Podar, 48, from Tuzrii, Romania, was arrested at the port of Dover in the early hours of Wednesday 2 December 2020. His truck was under close surveillance as part of Operation Symbolry, a long-running National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation targeting a ruthless organised crime gang involved in smuggling hundreds of migrants in lorries.
When authorities opened the back of the heavy goods vehicle (HGV), which was booked to board a ferry to France, they discovered nine migrants hidden inside.
Among the nine migrants was a 39-year-old Bangladeshi man who was already wanted by Nottinghamshire police for child sexual offences. He was swiftly charged with 20 offences. The other eight migrants, who were from India, Algeria, and Bangladesh, were handed over to immigration officials for further processing.
Podar was no stranger to the law. Just weeks earlier, on 16 October 2020, police stopped the same lorry in Edmonton, north London, and found six migrants concealed inside. Following that incident, the NCA charged Podar with two counts of attempting to facilitate illegal immigration.
Initially, Podar denied the charges. However, midway through his trial at Canterbury Crown Court, he admitted guilt. On 19 May 2021, he was sentenced to six years in prison.
On the same day as Podar’s sentencing, over 130 NCA officers conducted raids across east London targeting the masterminds behind people-smuggling operations. Two men, Mohammed Mokter Hossain, 52, and Noor Ullah, 28, were charged with conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration. They appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court on 21 May and were remanded in custody, with a return date set for 17 June 2021 at Snaresbrook Crown Court. Six other men arrested during the raids were released under investigation.
These coordinated enforcement actions demonstrate the NCA’s ongoing commitment to dismantle organised crime networks exploiting migrants and violating UK immigration laws.
Originally published by UKNIP.
