Middlesbrough Smuggler Faces Jail After Woman Found in Glovebox
A Middlesbrough man is set to face jail time after a woman was discovered hidden in a car’s glovebox during a smuggling operation
Middlesbrough, UK, People Smuggling, Vietnamese Woman, Counterfeit Documents
Middlesbrough: In June 2022, Border Force officers made a shocking discovery. They found a Vietnamese woman crammed into a tight space behind a car’s dashboard. This led to a deeper investigation into a people smuggling ring.
As the investigation unfolded, authorities uncovered a network involved in smuggling, complete with counterfeit documents and a stash of over 20,000 illegal cigarettes. They even found £6,000 in cash!
Three gang members were put on trial, all denying they helped anyone immigrate unlawfully to the UK. Khales Akram Jabar, Redar Curtis, and Jozef Kadet were found guilty at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
The court learned that this gang operated between 2022 and 2024, using both land and air routes to facilitate illegal immigration. They were also caught making fake identity documents, allegedly produced in a Greek forgery factory.
Interestingly, five other gang members, including two brothers, pleaded guilty to their charges. The whole thing kicked off when officers found the Vietnamese woman hiding in a car driven by Jozef Balog, who was returning from France.
Balog admitted to helping with unlawful immigration and got a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence last January. In July 2022, his wife, Emily Etherington, was also caught hiding another woman in her vehicle’s dashboard.
As the investigation expanded, it linked back to Curtis, leading to a broader inquiry. The group of eight is set to appear in court again on January 29, where they’ll likely get their sentencing dates.
Dame Angela Eagle, the Minister for Border Security and Asylum, commented on the case, highlighting the dangerous tactics of these criminal gangs. She emphasized how they exploit vulnerable people for profit, showing no regard for their safety.
Paul Moran, a chief immigration officer, praised the hard work of the teams involved in breaking up this smuggling operation, which spanned across Europe. He noted that the gang prioritized profit over the safety of those they were smuggling.