Lorry Driver Jailed for Smuggling Albanian Woman and Child into UK
A Polish lorry driver has been sentenced to four years in prison for smuggling a woman and her six-year-old daughter into the UK hidden inside his truck cab.
Dawid Flis, 37, was caught after arriving at the Port of Killingholme, North Lincolnshire, from the Hook of Holland on 23 March. Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Border Force searched his vehicle and discovered the Albanian nationals concealed in the bunk compartment of the HGV.
According to investigators, the woman had agreed to pay €25,000 for illegal passage into the UK. She had already paid half the sum and had met Flis at a roadside location in the Netherlands before he hid her and the child inside the lorry.
Flis was arrested at the scene and later pleaded guilty at Grimsby Crown Court to facilitating illegal immigration. He was sentenced on 23 July and will be deported after serving his sentence.
“Dawid Flis abused his position as a lorry driver to attempt to smuggle a woman and child into the UK,” said NCA Branch Commander Sara Moore. “Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA, and we will continue to target those involved at every stage.”
Two other individuals were arrested in connection with the smuggling attempt. One has been extradited to Italy; the second is currently on bail.
