Three People Traffickers Jailed for Bringing Illegal Immigrants Over in Small Boats

Gang put 12 migrants on a boat with only 6 lifejackets

People traffickers (L to R) Banet Tershana, Desmond Rice, and Klodian Shenaj, who were jailed at Nottingham Crown Court on Aug. 25, 2023. National Crime Agency

Three people traffickers who brought illegal immigrants across the English Channel in small boats have been jailed at Nottingham Crown Court.

Banet Tershana, 52, Klodian Shenaj, 47, and Desmond Rice, all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.

On Friday, Tershana was jailed for five years, Shenaj, 47, got four years and nine months, and Rice was jailed for four years and six months.

A fourth man, Jetmir Myrtaj, 45, will be sentenced for the same offence on Tuesday.

A fifth man, Arsen Feci, 44, skipped bail and is believed to have fled abroad.

The court heard Tershana, Shenaj, and Myrtaj—who are all Albanian nationals—teamed up with Rice and ferried illegal immigrants from Belgium and France to England in small boats despite not having enough lifejackets.

National Crime Agency branch commander Derek Evans said: “Our investigators worked tirelessly to identify members of this people-smuggling network and take action before they could arrange any more dangerous crossings.”

Desmond Rice driving a vehicle towing one of the small boats used to traffic illegal migrants in Margate, Kent, in an undated screen grab of footage. National Crime Agency

He said: “Tershana was the organiser, financier, and collected payment from migrants, Shenaj was the conduit between mainland Europe-based facilitators and the UK, and Myrtaj and Rice were integral to facilitating the crossings.”

‘Tackling Organised Immigration Crime Is a Priority’

“Tackling organised immigration crime is a priority for the NCA, and we will continue to target people smugglers both in the UK and overseas,” he added.

The traffickers were spotted offloading migrants in Joss Bay, Kent, on Oct. 8, 2022, and 15 days later.

Myrtaj, who was living in Leicester, used a false identity to moor a rigid-hulled inflatable boat in Brightlingsea, Essex, and repair the boat to make it seaworthy.

Rice bought a second boat for £22,500 and also moored it in Brightlingsea.

Arrested on Belgian Coast

Rice and Shenaj were arrested in Belgium as they attempted to load 12 migrants onto a boat that only had six lifejackets, including a woman and a child, near Nieuwpoort, on Oct. 29.

Last year, a record 12,301 Albanians reached the UK on small boats, representing a quarter of the total of 45,755.

The Home Office figures also reveal that forced deportations of Albanian illegals have more than doubled, with 1,207 returned to their home country this year so far—up from 681 for the last three quarters of 2022.

This was accompanied by 1,510 voluntary returns to Albania, up from 810 in the same period.

The significant rise in deportations this year comes months after the government signed a “groundbreaking” prisoner transfer agreement with the Balkans country.

Since March 2023, TikTok has proactively blocked posts from Albanian people smugglers using the site to advertise illegal crossings to the UK.

According to the Home Office’s latest Illegal Migration Act tables, just 143 Albanians crossed the English Channel in the third quarter of this year so far, down from 257 the previous quarter.