Aspiring student, 23, is jailed for 27 months for trying to smuggle Albanians into the UK after dropping ‘fanciful tale’ about being forced into it by armed gangsters

• Mihail Cretu was caught with a woman, 19, and man, 20, in his car by the Channel
• Cretu claimed thugs pointed a gun at his head and made him carry the migrants
• But Cretu abandoned the story and admitted two counts of people smuggling 
• Judge Brown dubbed his story a ‘fanciful tale’ and jailed him for 27 months

An aspiring student who tried to smuggle Albanians into the UK has been jailed for more than two years after dropping his ‘fanciful tale’ about being threatened by gangsters. 

Mihail Cretu, 23, was caught with two people hiding in his car at the French Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles as he tried to cross the English Channel.  

A 19-year-old woman was found under a blanket in the back seat of his hire car and a 20-year-old man was found hiding in the boot when he was searched. 

Mihail Cretu, 23, was caught with two people hiding in his car at the French Eurotunnel terminal in Coquelles as he tried to cross the English Channel

Cretu, a Romanian national, claimed thugs pointed a gun at his head and made him carry the migrants. He told border officers four men followed him from his east London home before stopping him at a service station, showing him a picture of his house and threatening to kill him if he did not comply. 

But Cretu dropped his story and pleaded guilty to two counts of people smuggling in a pre-trial hearing, via videolink from HMP Elmley in Sheppey, Kent.  

Canterbury Crown Court heard Cretu was ‘effectively acting as a courier’ after being offered £1,000 to bring the Albanians into the country on September 27.

Judge Brown dubbed his previous story a ‘fanciful tale’ adding people smuggling warrants a ‘deterrent sentence’.

She jailed Cretu for 27 months, telling him: ‘You were tempted, as many are, by what probably seemed like easy money, and you will have to pay the price.’

The court had heard Cretu told border officers he feared for his life, saying: ‘If I go back to the UK I will be killed.’

Defence lawyer Kerry Waite told Judge Catherine Brown his client’s motives were financial, as he fell on hard times since coming to the country four months ago with hopes of becoming a student.

Pointing out Cretu’s early guilty plea, the barrister added: ‘He had the good sense to abandon his story of duress and use of firearm and enter his guilty plea here.’

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