THE organiser of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United Kingdom in shoddy sailing boats has been jailed for 10 years.

A judge told Anatolie Melnicov: "You took advantage of the desperate situation these people were in in their home country, the former USSR. You knew they would pay your price."

Over a period of 10 months, from August 2005 and June last year, Melnicov, a Moldovian, and other Eastern Europeans smuggled in illegal immgrants, paying about £1,650 each, between French and British ports.

Alan Kent, prosecuting, said two sailing boats, called Esprit and Unity, and a powerboat called Playboy, were bought for the purpose.

"Esprit and Unity were used on various occasions to sail to England over the Channel from France," he told Maidstone Crown Court.

"People would be collected from France and then sailed to ports in the south east of England - ports where there were no border controls, no passport controls, no immigration officers and no police to check who was getting off the boats.

"Sometimes boats would arrive in the early hours of the morning in pitch dark."

Mr Kent said Ramsgate marina was used on a regular basis at first, but towards the end of the conspiracy the boats were moved to Rye harbour in Sussex.

Once the boats arrived, cars would be waiting to take the illegal immigrants to London, where they would disappear.

The powerboat developed engine trouble and could not be used before arrests were made.

Melnicov, 46, and Anatoliy Mihay, 33, he said, had sailed to France to collect five Romanians and returned to Rye in the early hours of June 25 last year.

The immigrants left the boat and made their way to a waiting people carrier owned by Melnicov's wife Julija Megne, 30, and driven by Zygimantas Bikinas. Megne and another man were waiting in a car owned by Bohdan Ivaniv.

"Unfortunately for the defendants, the police had been monitoring their movements for some time and were waiting for them," said the prosecutor.

The five illegal immigrants were taken out of the people carrier, searched and deported. One of the smugglers, Ioan Sabo,had £8,000 on him.

Mr Kent said the three boats and cars used in the operation were registered in Latvian Megne's name, while the cash was provided by her husband.

She was entitled to be in the UK, while Melnicov, who is Ukranian, was not. About £20,000 was spent on the boats, cars and equipment.

Melnicov, Bikinas, 35, Megne, Ivaniv, 29, and Mihay denied conspiracy to facilitate commission of a breach of the immigration law.

Melnicov and Megne were convicted, while Ivaniv and Bikinas were acquitted of the charge. The jury could not reach a verdict on Mihay and he will face a retrial.

Ivaniv and Bikinas admitted having false documents. Ivaniv was jailed for 12 months.

Bikinas will be sentenced later, as will Sabo, 33, who admitted the conspiracy charge, and Megne.

Judge Michael Lawson, QC, said the case involved exploitation of people in desperate circumstances.

"There are other matters which are depressing for the taxpayers of this country," he said. "We have had further confirmation that we have absolutely no idea who is in this country, or even those who come in for a limited period, where they are.

"But the matter which causes the greatest concern is that on evidence we heard, on presentation of two items of identification, the Inland Revenue department is content to issue a temporary registration card without any apparent concern for the validity of that identity.

"So a temporary registration card is issued under the banner of the Inland Revenue, which is then used and recognised by employers as a sign of legitimacy of that person being in this country and entitled to work.

"That seems to me to be a wholly unsatisfactory state of affairs and it is something the Inland Revenue should consider."

The judge said the smuggling was carried out blatantly. "It is clear you did it for substantial gain," he told Melnicov.

There were about 11 occasions when a boat left the country and returned in a short time with six or seven people on board, when the the craft was designed to carry only four.

One expert said the boats, which were in poor condition, could have been overwhelmed by the sea.

Judge Lawson ordered the deportation of Melnicov and Sabo on completion of their sentences.