A UK court has sentenced Anas al-Mustafa, a 43-year-old Syrian man, to 10 years in prison for smuggling migrants into the UK. Al-Mustafa was convicted in August of assisting unlawful immigration by transporting seven people in a specially adapted van with a concealed compartment.

The migrants -- six men and one woman from Vietnam -- were discovered last February on a ferry traveling from Dieppe, France, to Newhaven, England.

The hidden compartment, described as "the width of a human chest," was so cramped that the migrants were starved of oxygen and found pleading for help. Crew members on the ferry, hearing the cries, used an axe to break down the false partition and rescue them.

By the time they were rescued, two migrants had lost consciousness and were in critical condition. None of the migrants had been supplied with water, the court was told.

Prosecutors said the younger migrants recovered from dehydration, but one man suffered a possible heart attack, a woman experienced acute kidney injury, and another man went to the hospital in a comatose state and later suffered a stroke.

Also read: Video: 12 dead in the English Channel, calls for action grow

Severe risks

Prosecutors highlighted the dangerous and inhumane conditions in which the migrants were transported, stressing the severe risks they faced.

Lauren Doshi of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stated: "A lot of effort had been put into adapting a van to hide people within the back of it in dangerous and potentially life-threatening conditions."

"All of this was designed to avoid the checks and border controls that we have to prevent unlawful immigration. He put the lives of those he sought to smuggle into the UK at risk," she added.

Judge Christine Laing echoed these concerns. "Desperate people are prepared to risk their lives to come into the UK, often with tragic consequences," she said. "They are exploited by those who profit from this trade and pay little attention to their safety."

Border Security and Asylum Minister Angela Eagle also called for the dismantling of smuggling gangs: "This evil criminal put seven people's lives at risk for cash. It is a miracle they are still alive after the conditions they were put in."

The case underscores ongoing debates about immigration policy in the UK, particularly following recent changes under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, which scrapped the controversial Rwanda deportation plan.

Immigration was a major issue in the July general election that brought Starmer's Labour party to power.

Also read: UK to recruit 100 special intelligence officers to increase deportations of failed asylum seekers

Deaths at sea continue

The risks associated with irregular crossings were highlighted again when 12 people died off the northern French coast on Tuesday, marking the deadliest such disaster this year.

Critics, including former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, have accused the current government of weakening deterrents by ending the Rwanda policy, claiming that the government has "surrendered to the smuggling gangs."

"They got rid of the one credible deterrent, which was the Rwanda policy," Jenrick claimed.

A UN Migration Agency (IOM) policy paper published in March found that global campaigns warning against migration have little to no impact on people's decisions to migrate.

The study revealed that even when individuals were exposed to warnings through multiple channels, their desire and readiness to migrate remained unchanged, casting doubt on the effectiveness of deterrence strategies.

Migration policy in both the UK and neighboring EU countries now has an increasing focus on people smuggling and criminal networks.

The CPS has vowed to continue targeting people smugglers, with Doshi emphasizing the commitment to prosecuting those involved in such criminal activities and pursuing assets gained through these crimes.

Also read: French minister says EU, UK need 'migration treaty' after Channel deaths

With AFP