People smuggling gang jailed after being caught trying to sneak …

A gang who organised dangerous people smuggling journeys between mainland Europe and parts of Essex have been jailed for a combined total of more than a decade. Essex Police's marine unit managed to intercept the gang's efforts to sneak people into the UK after they stopped a boat on the River Colne, near Brightlingsea, in October 2022.

PS Alex Southgate, of Essex Police, said: “Three males were on board and none appeared dressed for being out at sea, so we stopped them and made some enquiries. We escorted them back to Brightlingsea Harbour so we could investigate further.

“While doing this, PC Perry was able to ascertain from their boat’s chart plotter that they had been visiting various secluded beaches and marshes along the Essex and North Kent coastline.”

After sharing the information, the unit was approached by the National Crime Agency, which began monitoring the group. NCA officers established that Albanians Banet Tershana, Klodian Shenaj, Jetmir Myrtaj and British national Desmond Rice were responsible for a number of crossings in October 2022. The first incident occurred on October 8 when a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) named Orca was spotted by a coastguard plane offloading a number of migrants in Joss Bay, Kent.

The same drop-off location was used for a second crossing on October 23. Investigators discovered that Myrtaj, 45, from Leicester, used a false identity to arrange for the Orca to be moored at a marina in Brightlingsea, and paid for repair work to make the vessel seaworthy.

Phone evidence showed Myrtaj was waiting on the beach as the boat arrived in the early hours of October 9. Officers were later able to identify him and the RHIB pilots, and plot their journey from Essex to the Belgian and French coast and back again. Around a week earlier, Rice , 47, from Aylesbury had purchased a second boat named Aquaholic for £22,500, which he and Shenaj, 49, from Nottingham, picked up from Poole and then transported to Brightlingsea Marina.

On the evening of October 22, CCTV showed Rice had filled 12 canisters with nearly £1000 worth of fuel at a petrol station in Brightlingsea, which he then took to the Aquaholic. GPS tracking was used to prove that the vessel had been to Belgium and then travelled back to the UK, while cell site data showed Shenaj and Tershana were in the Essex area when the boat returned.

A third crossing was attempted after Rice provided a kayak to two men so they could access the boat. NCA officers, who were watching the group, tipped off the Belgian Police and the boat was intercepted as it landed on the coast near Nieuwpoort on 29 October.

The two pilots, aged 35 and 45, were arrested as they attempted to load 12 migrants, including a woman and child, into the boat. Examination of the RHIB showed the six life jackets available were unsuitable for use at sea. The men are now being prosecuted in Belgium.

Rice was arrested the same day, and during a search of his house an invoice for the Aquaholic and registration papers were found, and the kayak used to access the boat was also in the back of his van. Officers searched hours of CCTV footage to track the network’s movements and analysed their phones to establish that they were involved in people smuggling.

Essex Police also provided footage of Myrtaj on board the Orca on October 2 where he claimed he owned the boat, proving his association to the pilots. Shenaj was arrested a month later and denied any involvement, Tershana was apprehended in February 2023, and Myrtaj was arrested in March 2023.

Tershana admitted conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration on April 17, while Myrtaj admitted it on the first day of his trial at Nottingham Crown Court on July 31. Shenaj and Rice followed suit the following day. Tershana received five years in jail, Rice received four years six months in jail and Shenaj received four years nine months at the same court today on August 25. Myrtaj was sentenced to four and a half years soon afterwards.

PS Southgate added: “Our Marine Unit polices the approximately 360 miles of coastline from the Thames at Crayford Ness to the River Stour in Manningtree. We work closely with partners including the NCA to keep our coastline safe and to catch criminals determined to engage in unsafe crossings.”

NCA Branch Commander Derek Evans said: “Our investigators worked tirelessly to identify members of this people smuggling network and take action before they could arrange any more dangerous crossings. Tershana was the organiser, financier and collected payment from migrants, Shenaj was the conduit between mainland Europe based facilitators and the UK, and Myrtaj and Rice were integral to facilitating the crossings.

“Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA, and we will continue to target people smugglers both in the UK and overseas.”

References

1. ^{^} 'Cowardly' sexual predator who abused girl jailed after brave victim speaks out (www.essexlive.news)