Two Ukrainian men who ran a ‘VIP’ people smuggling service have been jailed.
Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 37, was sentenced to six years in prison, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, was handed a five-year prison sentence after running what a CPS prosecutor called an “illegal migrant taxi service across the English Channel.”
It is understood that the Ukrainian duo was charging premium prices to shuttle people illegally into the UK on a yacht.
They both pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration, the National Crime Agency has confirmed.
The pair were initially arrested in July 2025 after the yacht they were travelling on was intercepted in UK waters off the coast of the Isle of Wight.
The yacht was carrying five additional passengers at the time who were being smuggled into the UK, including four Albanian men and one Vietnamese woman.
One of the passengers on board was already wanted in the UK after failing to appear in court for drug offences.
According to testimonies from one of the migrants, the people smugglers had charged £16,000 for a spot on the yacht, while another paid £13,000 on arrival.
The interception followed a collaborative investigation alongside French Gendarmerie investigators and Home Office intelligence, which linked the vessel to other people-smuggling activities and crossings in 2024 and 2025.
Addressing today’s ruling, NCA Branch Commander Saju Sasikumar said: “These men ran what can only be described as a kind of ferry service, moving small numbers of people over the channel each time, but charging them a premium price for the service.
“They stood to make tens of thousands of pounds for each trip, but we were able to work with our French partners to stop this enterprise in its tracks.
“Targeting people smugglers like this remains a priority for the NCA, and we’re doing all we can to disrupt and dismantle the gangs involved, wherever they operate.”
Border Security Commander Maritime, Charlie Eastaugh, also said the smugglers had been “driven solely by profit” while sharing a message to other smugglers.
“Anyone considering getting involved in people trafficking should be in no doubt that they will face the full force of the law,” Eastaugh said.
