People-smugglers used stolen travel documents that resembled migrants' appearances to sneak asylum seekers into Britain.

The criminal network exploited legitimate air travel routes to transport undocumented individuals from France into the UK.

The operation involved pre-arranged flights where individuals would board using these documents before declaring themselves as asylum seekers upon reaching British passport control.

The scheme operated on multiple occasions, with six individuals using the scheme across five separate flights.

Three additional attempts failed when authorities detected discrepancies during boarding procedures in France.

The smuggling ring charged each person approximately £8,000 for passage between France and Britain.

Two individuals orchestrated the smuggling network, Bassam Al Anzi, aged 36 from Kuwait, and Abdulaziz Al Ali, a 28-year-old Turkish citizen.

Their methodology involved obtaining legitimate passports, which they subsequently reported as stolen following successful use, attempting to eliminate evidence of their involvement.

People-smugglers used stolen travel documents that resembled the migrants' appearances to sneak migrants into Britain

The operation came to light when Home Office Immigration Enforcement's criminal and financial investigation unit traced the irregular arrivals back to the two men.

Officers arrested both suspects following their investigation into the pattern of undocumented arrivals claiming asylum at UK airports.

A third individual, Mahmoud Al Koud, aged 26 from Syria, faced similar charges in connection with the smuggling operation.

Chelmsford Crown Court heard evidence against all three defendants, with the jury delivering guilty verdicts for Al Anzi on both facilitation and fraud charges.

The operation involved pre-arranged flights where individuals would board using these documents before declaring themselves as asylum seekers upon reaching British passport control

Al Ali received a conviction for facilitation offences.

The jury failed to reach a decision regarding Al Koud's involvement, leaving his case unresolved.

Following their convictions, both Al Anzi and Al Ali were detained pending sentencing.

The court indicated that custodial sentences would be imposed for their roles in the smuggling enterprise.

The scheme operated on multiple occasions, with six individuals using the scheme across five separate flights

Their scheme had involved systematic exploitation of air travel systems to circumvent immigration controls while generating significant profits from vulnerable individuals seeking entry to Britain.

Dame Angela Eagle, the border security minister, said: “No matter whether it is by boat or by air, we are taking action against the criminals who exploit our borders.

"This Government has put forward a serious, credible plan to restore order to our asylum system, including tougher legislation, increased returns and enhanced enforcement activity to target illegal working.

"Anyone who seeks to smuggle people into the country in this way faces arrest, prosecution and a jail sentence."

Border Security Minister Dame Angela Eagle emphasised the government's commitment to combating smuggling operations regardless of transport method

Chris Foster, the Home Office criminal and financial investigations regional lead, said: "This case is an example of the excellent collaborative working we employ to tackle the unscrupulous criminal networks orchestrating illegal entry into the UK.

"Border Force teams were able to quickly apprehend the illegal entrants, whilst CFI acted swiftly to investigate the individuals behind the criminal scheme and bring them before the courts.

"As with many gangs we encounter, this was a money-making machine for them, with migrants being charged upwards of £8000 for the journey between France and the UK.

"Through investigative and enforcement activity like this, we will put a stop to them to protect our borders and safeguard vulnerable people.”