People smugglers jailed for 'premium' yacht service

Two Ukrainian men who repeatedly smuggled migrants into the UK on a $20,000 yacht have been jailed.

Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, earlier pleaded guilty to three charges of assisting unlawful immigration, but Portsmouth Crown Court heard they had made at least eight trips across the English Channel.

In sentencing Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko to six and five years respectively, the judge said they were involved in "an insidious black market, draining families of money and perpetuating the misery of illegal immigration".

The men were caught when Border Force intercepted the yacht, Uforia, near the Isle of Wight on 20 July 2025 as part of a joint operation.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it asked the Border Force to intercept the vessel, after a tip-off from authorities in France.

A team from the cutter HMC Seeker found four Albanian men and a young lone Vietnamese girl onboard, before escorting the yacht to Haslar Marina in Gosport.

One of the Albanian men, Pellumb Selimi, 29, was arrested for failing to appear in court in connection with drugs offences and has since been deported.

The three others are applying for asylum in the UK and the Vietnamese girl, whose age is unknown, is currently in foster care.

The judge said the "lone" girl was "particularly vulnerable" and willingly transporting her was "a callous act".

In August 2024, the men were seen by other sailors making a "clumsy attempt" to moor the boat at Itchenor, Chichester Harbour, where six people were seen departing.

The pair also transported a man, woman and child from France to the same harbour in June 2025.

The court heard the men, who both left Ukraine before the Russian invasion to find work, refused to answer questions or give the authorities access to their phones.

The judge called their operation a "premium service" and said: "Even though you weren't the organisers... you were an essential link within a chain of a wider network."

The migrants are believed to have paid up to 16,000 euros per trip, although the amount the men earned from that is unknown.

The NCA, which led the operation, said the men were members of an organised crime group (OCG) and had been involved in previous smuggling operations.

NCA branch commander Saju Sasikumar said: "They were facilitating people into the country not only on one occasion but on previous occasions as well, so I've got no doubt that they are part of a wider OCG."

He said the NCA was continuing to work with its partners to identify other members of the group.

Although the government releases frequent updates on small boat crossings, the data is limited to people travelling illegally across the narrowest stretch of the English Channel between northern France and Kent.

Migrants arriving in other parts on England on yachts, motor cruisers, tugs and fishing vessels are excluded from the data.

Home Office papers indicate illegal migration on such vessels is rare.

However, some experts argue smuggling people into small ports and harbours is a "very real threat".

One convicted people smuggler told the BBC bringing people into private marinas was "easy" and "low-risk".

A recent report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration noted there was evidence of vessels such as yachts and fishing boats being used by migrants to enter the UK clandestinely.

The Home Office said work was already under way to address several of the concerns raised.

The NCA maintained the jail sentences demonstrated how seriously such organised criminality is taken by law enforcement and the courts.

It also warned that migrants wishing to enter the UK in such clandestine ways were at greater risk of becoming victims of modern slavery.

You can follow BBC Hampshire & Isle of Wight on Facebook, X, or Instagram.