FOUR people smugglers who conspired to bring 69 Albanian migrants into the UK on a converted fishing boat have been convicted after a lengthy trial.

The migrants were found aboard a 30-metre-long trawler, called the Svanic, which was intercepted by UK Border Force vessels in the North Sea late on November 17 last year.

After the trawler was escorted into Harwich, three men, described by the prosecution as crew members, were arrested.

Three more men, said to be “UK-based organisers”, were subsequently arrested and all six were charged with conspiring to assist unlawful immigration between September 1 2020 and November 30 2020.

Five denied the charge and faced trial while one of the alleged “UK-based organisers” admitted the offence.

Tony Badenoch QC, prosecuting, told a trial at Chelmsford Crown Court that after it was seized the Svanic was inspected and found to have been converted, with 19 sleeping berths.

He said the vessel was built in 1962 and it is not known when it was converted.

“On inspection the vessel displayed a multitude of faults,” said Mr Badenoch.

“As an example, it only had a maximum lifesaving capacity of 20 persons.

“There were 69 migrants and three defendants on board and so there were plainly 20 lifejackets for 72.”

He said that a “crossing of this kind in a vessel of this size is unusual”.

The most common route for Albanian migrants entering the UK illegally from Belgium is in heavy goods vehicles, costing an estimated £2,000 to £3,000 per migrant, or in small boats such as Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats costing £2,000 to £4,100 per migrant, Mr Badenoch said.

“These methods are of fairly low sophistication,” he said.

“Using a fishing vessel such as the Svanic is uncommon and more sophisticated.

“It requires the organisation to procure such a vessel, crew to skipper the boat, upfront fuel and mooring fees, as well as any other incidental payments for repairs and the like.”

He said that migrants on the vessel were found to have hotel key cards on them, “suggestive of accommodation prior to the Svanic”.

The three men who were taken from the Svanic and arrested were Ukrainian nationals Igor Kosyi, 56, Volodymyr Mykhailov, 49 and Latvian national 44-year-old Aleksandrs Gulpe.

Kfir Ivgi, 39, of Corrigan Close, Finchley and Sergejs Kuliss, 32, of Albert Basin Way, Newham, London were subsequently arrested were said by prosecutors to be “UK-based organisers”.

The five defendants denied the charge against them.

Kosyi, Gulpe, Ivgi and Kuliss were convicted after a jury deliberated for 11 hours and ten minutes.

Mykhailov was cleared of the charge.