Two Men Jailed After Migrants Smuggled Across Channel In Yacht Operating Near Isle Of Wight Waters

(c) National Crime Agency

Two men have been jailed after running what prosecutors described as a “premium bespoke taxi service” smuggling migrants across the English Channel in a yacht operating in waters close to the Isle of Wight and the Solent.

Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, was sentenced to six years in prison, while Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, received a five-year sentence after both pleaded guilty to three counts of assisting unlawful immigration at Portsmouth Crown Court.

The pair were arrested after the yacht Uforia was intercepted around four-and-a-half miles off the coast of Chichester in West Sussex on 20 July last year.

On board were five migrants — four Albanian men and a “very young” Vietnamese female — who were handed over to immigration authorities following the interception by the National Crime Agency.

Prosecutor Robin Leach told the court the pair had carried out at least eight crossings from northern France to the English coast, particularly to Itchenor in Chichester Harbour, navigating through busy Channel and Solent shipping routes used by vessels travelling to and from the Isle of Wight.

Migrants were said to have paid up to €15,000 each for the journeys, with between three and six people typically transported on each trip aboard the yacht.

The court heard that Cherniavskyi had bought the vessel for around £15,000.

Sentencing the pair, Judge William Ashworth said they had been part of an “insidious black market” exploiting vulnerable people.

He also highlighted one occasion when the pair transported a young Vietnamese girl travelling alone, who was later taken into foster care after arriving in the UK.

The judge said migrants had been charged significant sums for what amounted to a “premium service”, although the two men were not believed to be the organisers behind the operation.

Both are expected to be deported at the end of their prison sentences.

During mitigation, defence lawyers told the court Cherniavskyi had been attempting to raise money for medical treatment for his parents, while Yavtushenko — a qualified sailor — said he regretted becoming involved in the operation.