A people trafficker who was described by a judge as having a ‘central role on a commercial scale’ has been jailed for seven years.

Mostafa Azoji, 49, of Denbigh Street in Pimlico, London, was found guilty of conspiracy to facilitate by a jury on Monday, November 6 following a trial at Canterbury Crown Court.

The charge follows his arrest in Dover Eastern Docks on Tuesday, May 5 2015 when he was found in possession of five Iranian identity documents that did not belong to him.

The court heard that following a complex and lengthy investigation further evidence was revealed that linked him to being a key player in bringing Iranian nationals into the UK illegally.

This included the discovery of financial transactions, regular travel to and from France and incriminating text messages.

On Tuesday, May 5 2015 Azoji arrived in Dover Eastern Docks after travelling to the UK from France. He was asked where he had been by an officer from Border Force.

Azoji told the officer that he lived in London but had been in France for a few days visiting Lille and Dunkirk. He claimed his car had broken down whilst in France and had waited for it to be repaired before returning home.

Officers searched his black Mercedes and found three Iranian IDs concealed in the rear seat cushion, which Azoji said must have belonged to previous passengers.

A wallet was also discovered with an identity card, again not belonging to him, and further ID was found hidden within a car manual in the glove box.

Kent Police officers were called to the scene and the vehicle was searched again. A mobile phone and four sim cards were also found and seized. Azoji could not give a good reason for why he had these documents and as such was arrested.

It transpired that on Friday, May 1 2015 three suspected migrants were found inside a lorry on the M20 and were detained by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers. Their identities matched those on the documents discovered in Azoji’s car in Dover several days later.

During a previous incident on Wednesday, April 29 2015 the driver for a British transport company reported seeing Azoji and the black Mercedes in Abbeville, France, acting suspiciously near to his lorry while he was taking a break from driving. When he returned to his lorry he discovered five migrants had been stowed away inside. One of them told the driver they had come from the black Mercedes.

Investigating officer detective sergeant Matthew Whitlock said: "Since Azoji’s arrest we carried out a number of enquiries and uncovered numerous text messages, chat conversations and other incriminating pieces of evidence that connected Azoji to people smuggling between Iran, Europe and the UK.

"Facilitation can often lead to other crimes including human trafficking, which is a serious violation of human rights.

"Thankfully Azoji has been found guilty of his crime and will now serve time in prison.

"Our officers will continue to do everything we can to seek out these criminals and safeguard victims."

Anyone who suspects any form of facilitation or human trafficking should report it to Kent Police by calling 101 or via Kent Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Alternatively call the National Modern Slavery Helpline on 0800 121 700.’