Albanian Couple Convicted of Using Aircraft to Transport Illegal Immigrants

Two Albanian nationals, using a plane to transport economic migrants illegally from northern France to an aerodrome in Essex, were convicted of people smuggling.

Myrteza Hilaj, aged 50, and Kreshnik Kadena, aged 37, both residing in Leyton, east London, were found guilty on Friday at Southwark Crown Court for aiding in the breach of immigration law.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) conducted an eight-year investigation, known as Operation Micropus, into the activities of an Albanian organized crime group. This group was involved in illegal migration, money laundering, drug trafficking, and the supply of counterfeit documents.

The NCA revealed that the actions of at least nine journeys involving Albanian economic migrants in 2016 and 2017 were primarily linked to Hilaj. Three of these journeys involved light aircraft while others involved migrants traveling in the back of lorries.

Kadena worked as Hilaj’s assistant and played a significant role in smuggling migrants using light aircraft.

The pilot would take off from North Weald Airfield in Epping Forest, Essex, and fly to Le Touquet airport in northern France to pick up three to four migrants to clandestinely bring them into the UK during each trip.

The pilot would then head to Stapleford Aerodrome, also located in Epping Forest, where the migrants would disembark the plane and be received by Kadena.

Albanian migrants would pay “up to £10,000” for transit into the UK and an additional “few hundred pounds” for counterfeit documents, according to the NCA.

Senior investigating officer Saju Sasikumar from the NCA described Hilaj as a “travel agent” for the migrants, positioning them in the right places at the right times to aid their illegal entry.

This case showcased one of the rare instances where light aircraft were employed by people smuggling gangs, as noted by Mr. Sasikumar.

Mr. Sasikumar emphasized the dismantlement of the organized crime group that provided not only illegal entry but also further services to help the migrants find employment and access services illegally.

The NCA reported that Hilaj and Kadena, legally residing in the UK, met after a police interception in France on July 17, 2017, at a local pub. During the trial, Kadena claimed this meeting was for his birthday celebration.

Hilaj, having come to the UK in the 1990s and previously working as a restaurant owner and security guard, supplied the illegal immigrants with false documents.

Hilaj sourced these documents from a counterfeit group and a man running a passport factory in London, among other sources.

Hilaj and Kadena were apprehended by the NCA on July 26, 2017, at their respective residences.

The two men are set to be sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on May 17.

In 2017, British pilot David Green and facilitator Edward Buckley were imprisoned in France for their involvement in the light aircraft operation.

The NCA’s operation led to a total of 27 arrests and 11 convictions in the UK, with nine more convictions overseas. Over 50 migrants were safeguarded from dangerous means of entering the UK, and four forgery factories were shut down, with nearly £1 million in confiscation orders issued.

The broader NCA investigation, not directly linked to Hilaj or Kadena, resulted in the seizure of four tons of cannabis and 30 kilograms of cocaine.