100 Britons jailed in France for smuggling migrants

At least 100 Britons have been jailed in France in the last year for trying to smuggle migrants through the port town of Calais to Britain, media reported on Tuesday.

According to prosecutors, most of them had hidden the migrants in their own cars, BBC reported.

The deputy prosecutor for the Calais region's main court, Julie Colaert said, "In the last two years we have seen more and more English smugglers."

"Trafficking gangs are employing them to take people across in their own cars."

"The migrants pay a lot of money because it is sold as guaranteed passage to Britain," Colaert added.

In the recent case, Basir Haji was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

He was caught at the Calais ferry terminal with two Iraqi men hiding in the boot of his car. He admitted agreeing to smuggle them to Britain for 500 pounds ($788).

The Iraqi men told police that their families had each paid 4,500 pounds ($7,097) for them to be transported to Britain.