A French court in Lille on Tuesday found 18 defendants guilty in a migrant smuggling trial linked to the dangerous English Channel crossings.
The group was charged after a 2022 police operation across Europe led to several arrests and the seizure of boats, life jackets and cash.
One of the ringleaders, from Iraq, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 200,000 euros 218,000. Most of the defendants were not in court for the sentencing. Some attended the trial remotely from various prisons in northern France, while others are not in custody.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.
LILLE, France AP - A court in northern France is to announce verdicts Tuesday in a major trial of 18 people accused of participating in the lucrative and often deadly trade of smuggling migrants across the treacherous and busy waters between France and the U.K.
