A lorry driver who attempted to smuggle illegal migrants into the UK through the Channel Tunnel has been sent to prison.

Dalip Dosti's plan unravelled when a Border Force officer spotted two men hiding wearing hi-vis jackets with his lorry's branding.

The incident happened shortly after midnight on May 31 2018, when Border Force officers at the Coquelles Eurotunnel terminal in France stopped Dosti's British-registered lorry at freight passport controls.

After Dosti's passport and paperwork for the load were checked, he was sent to the Border Force search lanes where physical checks were conducted on the vehicle.

No irregularities were found and he was directed to the loading lanes for the shuttle.

But a Border Force officer spotted two men hiding behind a building close to the search lanes shortly afterwards, and recognised that the men were wearing hi-vis jackets carrying the same branding as Dosti’s lorry.

The two men were challenged and handed over Albanian passports, admitting they had got out of a truck.

Dosti, 42, of Lincoln Court, Llanerderyn, Cardiff, and his vehicle were recovered from the loading lanes and returned to the UK control zone.

CCTV footage from the port showed Dosti unloading two men wearing high-vis from his lorry once he realised his vehicle was going to be searched.

They were identified as the two Albanians later arrested by Border Force.

Dosti was arrested and the case passed to Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) officers.

In interview, Dosti said he thought the men had entered his cab while he was having his paperwork checked by French security. He claimed he spotted them when approaching the UK passport booth but didn’t alert the officer as he was in a state of shock. Once the men had left the cab he said he had not mentioned it as they were no longer his problem.

Dosti was found guilty yesterday on Thursday, January 17, by a jury after a trial at Canterbury Crown Court and was sentenced immediately to four years in jail.

Dave Smith, deputy director for Border Force South East and Europe said: “When Dosti was directed to the Border Force search area, he knew that his cab would be searched. In a futile attempt to avoid detection, he ordered the men out into the port where they were quickly challenged and detained.

“Border Force works in close partnership with other UK and French law enforcement agencies to secure the border in northern France and this case is a good example of that multi-layered approach operating effectively.

“We will continue to work to ensure that people smugglers and traffickers, whose actions so often put the lives of others at risk, face the full consequences of their crimes.”

Assistant director David Fairclough, from CFI, said: “Dosti’s claim that the men must have entered his cab while he was in the French security area was fatally undermined by the CCTV footage. This was a premeditated attempt to breach the UK’s border controls.

“Dosti’s conviction sends a clear message that those involved with this kind of criminality – will be caught and brought before the courts.”

The two illegal migrants found in the vehicle were passed to the French Police Aux Frontieres.

Anyone with information about suspected immigration abuse can contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 anonymously or visit http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org