AVA - France: Nine Afghans jailed, fined for migrant smuggling

A French court has jailed four Afghans and given shorter sentences to five others as part of a crackdown on the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel.

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA)_Monitoring, In 2021, the group was found guilty of smuggling 53 people, primarily Vietnamese and Afghan immigrants, into the UK aboard dinghies.

The fines ranged from €1,000 to €30,000, while the punishments ranged from eight months to six years in prison with suspension.

One of the nine, a 30-year-old man found guilty of planning the crossings, received a six-year prison term and was told to leave France once his sentence was complete.

Three other defendants received five-year sentences and €25,000 fines each. Additionally, the court mandated that they be deported later. Five other guys received lighter sentences and will not serve time in prison—the accused range in age from 21 to 39.