Drones help capture and jail people smuggler who steered 30 migrants across Channel in overcrowded boat

An Iranian has been jailed for two years and six months after drones caught him steering 30 people more than 20 miles across the Channel in an overcrowded boat.

Khedr Mohamad, aged 25, is the eighth people smuggler to be convicted after being identified and caught by aerial surveillance by drones as being the man steering the rigid-hulled inflatable boat.  

Confronted with the evidence, he admitted a charge of assisting unlawful immigration to the UK was sentenced at Canterbury Crown Court on Thursday.  

The boat was intercepted in October by a Border Force cutter with Mohamad identified as steering the vessel from surveillance images of his distinctive jacket, backpack and hat, positioned at the rear of the boat.  

The boat passengers were transferred to the cutter and brought to Dover. Photographs of all the migrants were taken as they disembarked.  

Mohamad was arrested on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration to the UK after analysis of the footage.  

Chris Philp, the immigration minister, said: “We are working day and night to stop the crossings, control our borders, and return those who enter our country illegally.  

“Assisted by our use of surveillance technology, which combined with improved intelligence sharing and increased patrols in northern France is making crossing the Channel harder than ever, we are going after the people who are facilitating this international criminal trade. 

“Eight people have been jailed in the last few weeks and more are going through the courts.  

“We are also fixing our broken asylum system to make it fair to those who play by the rules, but firm on those who seek to abuse it. This work is already underway and we will bring forward new legislation this year.”  

Dan O’Mahoney, clandestine Channel threat commander, said: “These crossings are only possible if someone is willing to pilot the vessel.   

“That is why it is so important that we continue to prosecute those who have taken the helm and continue to demonstrate, with each new conviction, that their reckless actions have serious consequences.”  

More than 8,400 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in 2020, quadruple the number for 2019.