Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, ran a premium taxi service charging migrants up to £12,000 per crossing
Two Ukrainian men who operated a (Image: PA)
Two Ukrainian men who operated a “premium bespoke taxi service” to smuggle migrants into the UK via their yacht have been sentenced to prison.
Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, received a six-year sentence and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, was given five years after previously admitting to three counts of aiding illegal immigration at Portsmouth Crown Court.
The pair were apprehended following the interception of their yacht, Uforia, four-and-a-half miles off the Chichester, West Sussex coast on 20 July 2025. The operation involved the National Crime Agency (NCA), Border Force and French law enforcement.
The boat, bought by Cherniavskyi for 20,000 US dollars (£15,000) in April 2024 and captained by Yavtushenko, was subsequently escorted to Gosport Marina, Hampshire.
Five migrants – four Albanian males and one Vietnamese female – were handed over to immigration authorities, as reported by the NCA.
Prosecutor Robin Leach stated that the duo had conducted at least eight crossings, adding: “Both defendants ferried migrants across the English Channel from northern France to the English coast, in particular to Itchenor in Chichester Harbour and they ferried the migrants across the Channel in a yacht called Uforia.
“It was established some of the migrants paid up to 15,000 euros – this was a premium bespoke service and any one trip would involve three to six migrants being taken across the Channel.”
Mr Leach explained that the first charge concerned a crossing on August 10 2024 from Fecamp, near Le Havre, transporting six migrants to Itchenor where witnesses observed a “clumsy attempt to moor the boat” before those on board disembarked and made their way to the village where they were collected by someone.
The second charge involves a crossing on June 15 2025 carrying a couple and a child, with the third count being the July 20 crossing.
Mr Leach stated that three of the Albanians involved in this crossing are seeking asylum in the UK whilst the fourth was returned to his home country.
He noted that the Vietnamese girl was “very young” and is presently in UK foster care.
Sentencing the pair, Judge William Ashworth said: “You were both part of an insidious black market draining families of money and perpetuating the misery of illegal immigration.
Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 38, was jailed for six years (Image: PA)
“Of particular concern in this case is that on one occasion you willingly transported a young Vietnamese female travelling alone who upon arrival into the UK was taken in to foster care meaning that she was a particularly vulnerable person and transporting her into the UK is a callous act.”
He added: “It was a premium service and you both accept you received significant amounts of money albeit you were not the organisers who, one would conclude, would take the lion’s share of the money.”
The judge indicated that the pair would probably face deportation upon completing their sentence. Daniel Reilly, defending Cherniavskyi, explained that his client had left Ukraine before the war erupted to earn money for a bone marrow transplant and treatment for his mother, who was diagnosed with leukaemia, as well as medication and treatment for his father suffering from a heart condition.
Reilly stated that Cherniavskyi initially worked legally as a shop fitter in Spain before purchasing the yacht and becoming embroiled in the smuggling operation.
He revealed that whilst his client’s mother has since passed away, his father still resides near Kharkiv, an area impacted by the conflict with Russia.
William Saunders, defending Yavtushenko, noted that the certified sailor left Ukraine in 2015 and worked as a builder and taxi driver in Poland before returning to sailing upon moving to Spain and Portugal.
Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, was jailed for five years (Image: PA)
Saunders declared: “He deeply regrets and apologises for getting involved.”
Tim Burton, CPS specialist prosecutor, commented: “Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko were effectively running an illegal migrant taxi service across the English Channel.
“Thanks to the National Crime Agency they were caught red handed and evidence shared by French authorities meant we were able to build an unanswerable case.”
Julian Harriman, NCA senior investigating officer, remarked: “These men ran what can only be described as a kind of ferry service, moving small numbers of people over the Channel each time, but charging them a premium price for the service.
“They stood to make tens of thousands of pounds for each trip but we were able to work with our French partners to stop this enterprise in its tracks”.
“Targeting people smugglers like this remains a priority for the NCA, and we’re doing all we can to disrupt and dismantle the gangs involved, wherever they operate.”
