Justice after tragedy. Six men who ran illegal smuggling networks have been given prison sentences of 6 to 10 years in France. Their plan killed 31 migrants who tried to cross the English Channel in 2021.
The boat sank early in the morning after sending distress calls to French and British coastguards. The victims were mostly Iraqi Kurds, but also Afghans, Egyptians and Iranian Kurds. Only two men survived the wreck.
Families travelled from Iraq to Paris to give testimony. They said the men were driven by money and had no thought about safety. One niece said her brother had dreamed of a new life in England but no one warned him.
Survivor Issa Omar told the court how he stayed awake, clung to a life‑jacket and kept swimming. His lawyer said his dad could not finish the hearing because the event left him shaken.
Police traced the smuggling networks using phone data. Two smaller groups helped move migrants from Turkey to France and to the “jungle” camp near Calais. One leader, who is in custody in Iraq, was not a defendant.
French and British officials ended a joint return scheme after the verdict, saying the programme had not stopped traffickers. New investigations target French soldiers who might have ignored the boat’s distress calls.
