Ukrainian Nationals Jailed for Smuggling Operation
Two Ukrainians have been sentenced to prison for operating a personnel smuggling scheme that transported illegal immigrants from France to the UK using yachts.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), comparable to the FBI in the U.S., arrested Vladislav Chernyavsky, 37, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, as part of a crackdown on illegal immigration in the English Channel last July.
The NCA tracked the Euphoria yacht from Le Havre into British waters near White Island. It was intercepted by Border Force maritime officers and taken to Hustler Marina in Gosport, Hampshire.
Onboard were two Ukrainian smugglers along with four Albanian men and a Vietnamese woman, all attempting to cross the Channel illegally.
Some of the immigrants shared with the NCA how their handlers had directed them to stay in a hotel in Fécamp, France, where they first encountered the smugglers before boarding the yacht in Le Havre for their journey to the UK.
One migrant reported paying £16,000 for a “VIP service” to the UK, while another mentioned he had agreed to pay £13,000 upon arrival. It’s a lot of money for a boat ride, but perhaps legal entry was not an option for some, especially since one of the individuals is already wanted in the UK for drug offenses.
Chernyavsky, the yacht’s owner, and Yavtushenko, the ship’s captain, pleaded guilty to aiding illegal immigration at Portsmouth Crown Court in November. Chernyavsky was sentenced to six years in prison, and Yavtushenko received five years. Additionally, the yacht was ordered to be confiscated.
NCA branch chief Saju Sasikumar commented on their operation, likening it to a ferry service that charged high fees, saying they could have earned tens of thousands per trip. He emphasized the NCA’s commitment to disrupt similar smuggling operations in collaboration with their French counterparts.
The recent arrests have occurred alongside a noted decline in illegal immigration. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has focused the government’s strategy on dismantling smuggling rings across the Channel as part of his approach to the migrant crisis.
However, under Starmer’s leadership, the number of individuals entering the UK illegally from the continent has, in fact, increased significantly, with reports of around 66,000 people doing so since he took office in mid-2024.
