People smuggler jailed for taking migrants OUT of Britain an hour after they arrived
A PEOPLE smuggler has been jailed — after he was caught taking illegal migrants out of Britain.
He initially sneaked 15 men into the UK from France — but after just an hour here they decided they wanted to go Spain instead.
The Moroccan smuggler, who works as a taxi driver in London, was then stopped by French police in Dunkirk on January 31.
They found the 15 men, all Moroccans, in his VW van.
The driver was jailed in France for a year for people smuggling and aiding illegal stays.
A source said of the migrants’ short stay in Folkestone, Kent: “They immediately decided they didn’t like it there, and wanted to go to Spain instead.
Read More on Immigration
“They asked to be taken back to France, where they were intercepted by the police, and the people smuggler was arrested.”
The driver had been due to take them back to Paris, for a fee of around £180 per person.
It is suspected he was part of a UK-based people smuggling gang making thousands out of the cross-Channel trade.
In line with French policy, none of the migrants were arrested and after basic checks, they were free to continue their journeys.
Most read in The Sun
However, with all their records taken by authorities, they face a tough task to settle in Spain, which reportedly accepts few asylum requests from Morocco.
The source added: “It is a lose-lose for everyone.”