He Wanted to Start Bringing People to the UK Illegally to Make Money, Then He Brought 26 Boat Migrants Before Facing an Unexpected Fate After Arriving in the UK
An Eritrean man has been sent to prison after he was caught steering a small boat carrying 26 people across the English Channel to the UK.
Jemal Abdela, 32, was seen controlling a large black inflatable boat during the dangerous journey on July 25. There were 26 people on board, including six children.
The boat was travelling through rough and choppy water, with several people sitting around the edges of the inflatable vessel. Authorities said the boat did not have important safety or navigation equipment on board.
There was no GPS to help guide the boat, no emergency flares and no first aid kit. This meant the people travelling on the boat could have been in serious danger if something went wrong during the crossing.
Officials were able to identify Abdela using aerial footage recorded while the boat was crossing the Channel. The journey had started at around 5pm the previous day.
Abdela later admitted putting other people’s lives at risk while making the sea journey to the UK without valid permission to enter the country.
He appeared at Winchester Crown Court, where he was sentenced to 18 months in prison.
According to the Home Office, Abdela is the 20th person identified as a small boat pilot to be jailed for this offence in less than four months.
The Home Office said the government had made progress in its efforts to reduce small boat crossings but admitted that more still needed to be done.
Officials said the number of crossings had fallen significantly and that the UK had recorded its lowest number of summer arrivals since 2020.
The Home Office also said joint operations had stopped more than 48,000 attempted crossings and resulted in the seizure of around 1,100 boats and engines since the July 2024 election.
The government says it plans to increase the number of officers working in France and take further action against the reasons that encourage people to use illegal and dangerous routes to reach Britain.
More than 17,000 migrants have reportedly crossed the English Channel in small boats and arrived in the UK so far this year.
More than 5,000 of those arrivals have taken place since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister.
Despite the continued crossings, the total number recorded in 2026 is around 42% lower than at the same point last year.
