Two men have been sentenced to a total of 12 years in prison for their involvement in a human smuggling operation, which saw 39 individuals, including a six-year-old boy, discovered in the back of a refrigerated lorry at Dover docks, Kent.

Jamal Elkhadir, 47, from Morocco, and Houcine Argoub, 32, from Bromley, pleaded guilty to charges of assisting unlawful immigration, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).

NCA operations manager John Turner condemned the actions of the two men, emphasizing their blatant disregard for the safety and wellbeing of the migrants involved in the smuggling operation.

The NCA investigation revealed that Argoub parked a van near Elkhadir’s lorry in a layby near Sandwich, where individuals were observed transferring from the van to the refrigerated lorry. The lorry, equipped with a locking mechanism accessible only from the outside, was intercepted by law enforcement officers upon its arrival at Dover Port.

All 39 individuals found in the back of the lorry were Algerian or Moroccan nationals, according to the NCA.

Elkhadir was apprehended at the docks on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration. Initially, he claimed to have been transporting tomatoes and had stopped for a break with the lorry’s doors unlocked. However, he later admitted to being coerced at gunpoint into transporting migrants to France.

Argoub was arrested in Bromley for the same offence in November 2023.

During their court appearance at Canterbury Crown Court on 13 March, both Elkhadir and Argoub pleaded guilty to charges of assisting unlawful immigration.

As a consequence of their actions, Elkhadir was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison, while Argoub received a prison term of five years and three months.

Mr Turner reiterated the NCA’s commitment to dismantling networks involved in people smuggling, emphasizing the agency’s determination to disrupt such criminal activities and hold perpetrators accountable for their actions.