Man sentenced for people smuggling and class A drugs supply
A man has been sentenced to ten years in prison at Winchester Crown Court after pleading guilty to his role in attempting to smuggle five men from Belgium to the UK by lorry and supplying cocaine.
Ibrahim Sollaku, 33, an Albanian national from Priory Road, Southampton, was arrested by officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU) in November. At the same time, a team in Belgium detained a man and stopped five Albanian men from boarding a lorry to travel to the UK.
A search of Sollaku’s Southampton home led to more than 90 street deals of cocaine being seized.
Sollaku, who was arrested in Bournemouth, pleaded guilty to both offences the following month. Today, the judge handed down a sentence of seven years and six months for the immigration offences, and two years and six months for the drugs offences, to run consecutively.
DCI Adam Smith from SWROCU said: “Sollaku is clearly a well-connected criminal, shown by his involvement in both organised immigration crime and class A drug dealing.
“He wasn’t concerned with the risk or harm both of those offences cause – just in making money.
“Criminals like Sollaku look to make huge profits by facilitating illegal journeys. The high price tags they charge often help to strengthen their criminal networks, causing yet more harm to our communities.
“The more information we have to help identify suspects and potential victims, the more we can target the networks behind it.”
Anja Hohmeyer from the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Ibrahim Sollaku played a leading role in this criminal conspiracy to bring people from Albania illegally to the UK.
“This has been a successful joint operation between the UK and Belgium to capture and disrupt international people smuggling gangs.
“Sollaku could have chosen to get a job and make a life for himself and his young family, but he’s thrown that all away.
“Those who get involved in immigration crime not only risk destroying their lives but also those of their family members.”
Report criminal activity to your local force online or by calling 101. In an emergency, call 999. You can also report via the Home Office endorsed charity STOP THE TRAFFIK. or to Crimestoppers anonymously online or by calling 0800 555 11.
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