A car wash owner plotted to smuggle people into the UK inside lorries – and planned to drug children to keep them quiet.
Luan Braha, of Boss car wash in Silverdale, Newcastle-under-Lyme, has been jailed for eight years for his bid to traffic Albanians from Belgium.
He was found guilty at Stoke Crown Court on Thursday for conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the UK.
Police said Braha used group chats to devise his plans.
The 38-year-old, originally from North Macedonia, planned to charge migrants more than £5,000 each.
Police said he also discussed with other counterparts drugging people, including children, to keep them quiet during the journey from Ghent.
The car wash owner used his business “to make acquaintances and generate support for his plan,” police said.
Braha was arrested in July 2021 and claimed he had no intention of ever carrying out his plans and that it was “a flight of fancy”.
Julie Woods, from West Midlands’ Regional Organised Crime Units, said: “It was clear Braha was the lead conspirator and was quite openly making arrangements to smuggle people into the UK for payment with no regard for their safety.”
Sourc: BBC