Lambeth people smuggler who boasted he could bring in 50 illegal immigrants a day to England gets nine years and nine months in jail

A people smuggler who boasted he could get 50 people a week into England has been jailed for nine years and nine months in prison.

Arthuras Jusas, of Wandsworth Road, Lambeth, was part of a crime group which tried to smuggle 69 Albanian migrants into the UK on a decrepit fishing vessel.

They ran the 60-year-old vessel aground twice before it got close to its destination.

The 35-year-old was one of a gang of six men who bought the boat – which only had 21 life jackets – and was caught trying to bring 69 illegal immigrants to Norfolk.

The crime group were involved in the smuggling attempt on 17 November last year when the 30m converted trawler ’Svanic’ was intercepted off the coast heading for the seaside resort of Great Yarmouth.

The boat – built nearly 60 years ago and with a lifeboat for just 20 people – had set sail from the Ostend area of Belgium when it was seized by the coastguard.

It was escorted into Harwich international port in an operation which also involved the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force, Immigration Enforcement and Essex Police.

The NCA had been alerted to the vessel by the Maritime Analysis and Operations Centre in Lisbon. The Portuguese authorities had received a report of suspicious activity from their Swedish counterparts – who had helped the Svanic after it ran aground 15 days before picking up the migrants.

The vessel, which had been bought in Latvia for around 20,000 euros in October 2020, ran aground a second time before collecting the migrants in Belgium.

The three crew members – Igor Kosyi, aged 57, and Volodymyr Mykhailov, 49, both from Ukraine, and Alexsandrs Gulpe, 44, from Latvia – were arrested by the NCA on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. The 69 migrants were handed to Immigration Enforcement.

NCA investigators seized a laptop from the vessel, which enabled them to identify the UK-based gang which had orchestrated the attempt.

The computer had been given to the crew by Latvian national Sergejs Kuliss, 32, of Albert Basin Way, Newham. Phone evidence showed Kuliss was in Great Yarmouth, on the night, waiting for the boat.

During the day Kuliss had been in contact with fellow conspirators Lithuanian national Jusas, and Israeli national Kfir Ivgi, 39, from Finchley.

Messages found on their phones showed the three men spent weeks discussing their plans to buy a boat for the operation, with Jusas claiming “From first trip we’re going to get the money back.”

Once the Svanic had been identified as a possible purchase, Kuliss sent a sequence of photographs and videos of the boat to Jusas, which he forwarded to Ivgi. He replied: “Yes, yes, yes…I don’t care how it looks like, it’s good.”

In one audio messages found on his phone following his arrest, Jusas boasted to Ivgi that he planned to “bring every week 50 people”. Other messages showed he was in contact with people on the ‘other side’ who wanted to move migrants to the UK.

The trio had also scoped out potential landing sites for the vessel, which had only 21 lifejackets on board, eventually settling on Great Yarmouth.

After the interception the gang shared online news reports about the incident with each other, with Ivgi messaging Jusas to say “Clean the…phone.”

Jusas, Ivgi and Kuliss were arrested during a series of NCA raids in June this year after investigators were able to piece together their involvement in the plot.

They were charged alongside Kosyi, Mykhailov, and Gulpe with conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration.

Jusas pleaded guilty at Chelmsford Crown Court on 6 August, but following an eight-week week trial at the same court Ivgi, Kuliss, Gulpe and Kosyi were found guilty on 17 November – exactly a year since the boat was intercepted.

Volodymyr Mykhailov was found not guilty.

Jusas, Ivgi, Kuliss and Kosyi were sentenced at the same court. Gulpe, 43, of Olaine, Latvia, was sentenced today (January 21).

NCA Director of Investigations Nikki Holland said: “These men had no qualms about trying to smuggle vulnerable migrants on board an unseaworthy vessel, with ambitions to bring in hundreds more using this deadly method.

“Their sole motivation was monetary greed so I’m delighted they are now beginning lengthy jail terms for these despicable crimes.

“Working with partners like Border Force and Immigration Enforcement, we will relentlessly pursue people smugglers and bring them before the courts to face the consequence of their actions.”

Sergejs Kuliss 33, of Albert Basin Way, Newham – but arrested at an address in Tonbridge, Kent – was sentenced to nine years imprisonment.

Kfir Ivgi 38, of Corrigan Close, Finchley, London, sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

Igor Kosyi, 57, of Odesa, Ukraine, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment.

Alexsandrs Gulpe,, 43, of Olaine, Latvia, was sentenced today (January 21) to eight years imprisonment at Chelmsford Crown Court.