Driver who smuggled migrants from France through Portsmouth in spinach lorry for 'large sums of money' jailed

Remorseless Romanian national Marinel Danut Palage has been jailed after transporting migrants in the back of his refrigerated spinach lorry. The 31-year-old was a key member of an organised crime group convicted of bringing migrants illegally into the country.

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Palage, who lives in Spain, would meet the migrants in northern France before taking them in the back of his lorry on a ferry from Caen to Portsmouth. He would then drive them to an industrial estate at Runcton near Chichester, West Sussex, where they would be met by drivers to take them to the Midlands and north of England.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard the operation was carried out at least three times – bringing in roughly 10 to 12 people illegally. Palage and the four others were arrested on March 11, 2019 on the third trip by officers following a four-year investigation by the National Crime Agency.

Officers searched his cab and discovered plastic bags containing £34,500 in cash. Further bundles of euros and sterling – worth roughly £7,000 – were found hidden behind a tachograph panel.

Sentencing Palage, Judge William Mousley KC told him: ‘You performed the essential function of driving the immigrants across the border in your lorry. You had a clear organisational role in managing aspects of the enterprise.

‘You expected, and received, large sums of money for your involvement.’ The judge added that Palage had shown no remorse as he had gone on to carry out similar offences in Germany and had to be extradited to stand trial in the UK.

Palage’s vehicle and cash was seized. He has been jailed for nine years. Father-of-three Pshtewan Ghafour, 37, from Middlesbrough, was jailed for five years for his role in the organisation which included ensuring the group members were paid.

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Both defendants were found guilty of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration following a four-week trial. NCA branch commander Richard Harrison said: ‘This people smuggling group were content to put vulnerable migrants, including children, in the back of refrigerated lorries for hours on end during dangerous Channel crossings.

‘It is clear from the evidence we found that their sole reason was for profit, without any regard to the migrants’ safety.’

A NCA spokesman said Palage’s lorry was found to be carrying at least three people on that occasion. The ringleader Goran Jalal, 37, from Bradford, remains wanted by the NCA having absconded following his arrest.

Kamaran Kader, 44, also from Bradford; Mariwan Mustafa, 33, from Halifax; and Manchester duo Jamal Saied, 38; and 37-year-old Hemin Salih, who has also absconded, will be sentenced separately for their part in the network.