11 Indian nationals were found hiding in the trailer of a lorry
A people smuggler from Wolverhampton has been jailed after running a cross-Channel operation that moved migrants from the UK into France using lorries.
Jaskirat Singh made over £180,000 arranging what prosecutors described as “clandestine travel” for non-British nationals between December 2024 and March 2026.
He was jailed for five years and three months at Canterbury Crown Court after pleading guilty to conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration.
Singh’s case reflects an unusual shift in smuggling routes as it is usually people being smuggled into the UK. In this case, it is the opposite.
He is said to have organised the transport of up to 60 migrants a week from Britain to France over a nine-month period, coordinating drivers, payments and logistics through an organised network.
The operation was uncovered after 11 Indian nationals were found hiding in the trailer of a lorry stopped at Dover in December 2024.
They, along with four others found in a separate lorry travelling to France in January 2025, provided information that helped trace the network back to Singh’s Wolverhampton address.
Police later seized his mobile devices and uncovered what the Crown Prosecution Service described as a “wealth of incriminating evidence”, including voice notes, messages, images and videos linked to the operation.
Advertising the Operation
In a voice message seized by police, Singh bragged that he had successfully arranged for up to 60 people to be driven to France every week over nine months.
Investigators found images saved from TikTok advertising crossings to France, which prosecutors said showed his interest and involvement in facilitating illegal travel routes.
One video, believed to have been filmed by Singh, showed large amounts of £20 notes spread across a bed.
Another, filmed by someone else, showed migrants getting off a lorry in an unknown location, with the filmer saying, “UK to France”.
Further messages dated June 2025 included a conversation with a Romanian mobile number discussing payment for 15 people smuggled into France by lorry.
The chat indicated a driver had been paid £5,500 for the journey, with Singh allegedly earning a share of the proceeds.
The CPS said Singh played a key role in organising illegal movement using lorries, with operations continuing over several months and generating at least £185,000 in profit.
Peter Cockrill, of the CPS, 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 co-ordinating 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.”
His sentencing comes amid wider enforcement against smuggling networks.
Last summer, the National Crime Agency convicted a 12-strong gang involved in moving hundreds of migrants across the Channel in refrigerated lorries.
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