A British court sentenced an Albanian national to five years and four months in prison after finding him guilty of being a member of an organized crime group that smuggled migrants into the United Kingdom, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said on Monday.
Arsen Feci, 49, of Nottingham, pleaded guilty at the Nottingham Crown Court after having been extradited by Spain.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation into Feci’s operation after a UK Coastguard plane spotted migrants being offloaded from a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) named Orca in Joss Bay, Kent, on October 9, 2022. Feci and his associates—Banet Tershana, Klodian Shenaj, Jetmir Myrtaj, and British national Desmond Rice—conducted another illegal crossing at the same location on October 23.
Authorities tracked Feci’s involvement through surveillance and transactions. He was found to be in constant contact with Shenaj and Rice and was instrumental in purchasing equipment and recruiting individuals for the crossings. CCTV footage captured Feci buying maintenance items, and he later purchased an inflatable kayak, paddles, and a pump to aid the operation.
On October 29, 2022, NCA officers monitored as the group attempted another crossing with a second RHIB, Aquaholic. Belgian police, acting on a tip-off, intercepted the vessel near Nieuwpoort, Belgium, in the early hours of October 30, as two pilots attempted to load 12 migrants, including a woman and child. The pilots, aged 35 and 45, were arrested and later sentenced in Belgium to six years in prison each.
Feci and Shenaj were arrested in Nottingham on November 29, 2022, but Feci was released on bail in March 2023 and fled to Spain. He remained on the run until August 2024, when he was re-arrested and extradited to the UK in November.
Tershana, Shenaj, Myrtaj, and Rice were convicted and sentenced in August 2023 for the same offenses.
“Feci is the final piece of the puzzle in this organized people smuggling group, taking migrants on dangerous journeys across the Channel and undoubtedly making significant money as a result,” said NCA Branch Commander Derek Evans. “He thought he could evade justice by fleeing, but our international partnerships ensured his return to the UK.”
The NCA has identified the dismantling of people smuggling networks as a top priority and continues to target such criminal enterprises operating in the UK and abroad.
