Folkestone Trio Jailed for Smuggling Vietnamese Migrants Across Channel
Three men from Folkestone have been sentenced for attempting to smuggle Vietnamese migrants into the UK from France
Folkestone, Vietnamese Migrants, English Channel, Smuggling, France, UK
Folkestone: Three guys who tried to smuggle Vietnamese migrants across the English Channel have been sentenced. They made several attempts but kept failing.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) found out that these men tried to bring people from France to the UK five times in just ten days back in August 2018.
The group was led by Freddy Lawrence, 57, Keith Baigent, 63, and Paul Giglia, 64. They teamed up with others, including Ronald Scott, who was living in France.
They used a boat called Sorel Light, which Lawrence bought for £30,000. But things didn’t go smoothly. They were caught just before their last attempt.
French police were watching and saw the boat near Wimereux, a coastal town. They noticed Vietnamese migrants arriving and trying to get on the boat.
When the police moved in, one of the guys jumped into the water to escape but got caught. The boat sped off, but the police managed to detain everyone on board.
In total, there were 11 migrants and the smugglers. The NCA said these guys were pretty clueless, relying on luck instead of skill to navigate the busy shipping lanes.
All their attempts were a mess, with mechanical issues and failed trips. Lawrence even borrowed a smaller boat when their engine failed, but that one ran out of fuel too.
To avoid getting caught, Lawrence used multiple pay-as-you-go phones and unregistered vehicles. He was trying to stay off the radar, but it didn’t work.
Lawrence has a long criminal history, with 15 previous convictions. He’s currently serving time for drug-related offenses and was arrested in 2018 for this smuggling case.
In court, Lawrence got seven and a half years, Baigent got three years and nine months, and Giglia received three years and four months.
The NCA said even though this was a poorly run operation, the intent was clear: to smuggle vulnerable people for profit, putting lives at risk.
Officials are determined to dismantle these smuggling networks and protect lives. The government is also committed to cracking down on these dangerous operations.