A French couple has been sentenced to jail in the UK for smuggling migrants concealed within furniture

London: A UK court has sentenced a French couple to prison for smuggling Vietnamese migrants, including children, into the country concealed within specially adapted sofas, according to the interior ministry.
Junior Toussaint and Andrene Paul, both hailing from the vicinity of Paris, received a combined sentence of 9 years and 11 months at Hove Crown Court. They had pleaded guilty to aiding unlawful migration into the UK.
The duo, who had previously worked together as delivery drivers in France, concealed a Vietnamese woman and three children within furniture loaded in a rental van. They embarked on their journey from Dieppe to Newhaven Port in the early hours of April 2nd this year.
Suspicion arose among Border Force officers when they examined the van and noticed movement from within the modified sofas, which were concealed beneath a mattress and other furnishings.
Disturbing images captured at the time of the inspection reveal two migrants crammed inside the furniture, unable to escape without assistance from the smugglers. Others were hidden among different pieces of furniture, including a chest of drawers, and one individual was found crushed beneath a settee.
Robert Jenrick, the Immigration Minister, commented:
“This case is another shocking example of the sickening tactics used by criminals who will think nothing of trapping women and children in appalling conditions to illegally enter our country.”
We are working night and day to stay one step ahead of the smuggling gangs and ensure they are swiftly brought to justice.
“And our landmark Illegal Migration Act will decisively break their business model by removing the incentive to make a dangerous, illegal and unnecessary journey from the safety of France.”
The defendants claimed they were unaware of the migrants’ presence in their van, asserting that they were driving it to assist with furniture removal in London. However, fingerprint checks by Border Force subsequently confirmed Toussaint’s involvement in the smuggling attempt, and he pleaded guilty to aiding unlawful immigration.
Paul, who had initially denied her involvement, was found to have made several suspicious visits to the UK earlier in the year. She changed her plea to guilty when video evidence of her previous activity was presented in court.
Chris Foster, Deputy Director of Criminal and Financial Investigations at the Home Office, stated:
“Criminals are going to increasingly extreme lengths to smuggle people across the UK border for profit due to our efforts to clamp down on them. This sentence today reflects the severity of their crimes.”
Our teams save lives by identifying and intervening in smuggling attempts like this one. I want