FRANCE – A French court sentenced an imam to two years in prison for helping migrants try to cross the English Channel in inflatable boats.
The 39-year-old Iranian national was accused of arranging several crossings from northern France to England.
According to the prosecution, the imam was in contact with organized gangs of traffickers and took a commission on the sale of each boat.
There has been a recent spike in the number of migrants trying to cross the Channel in boats, despite the risk of dangerous currents, cold waters and collisions. (BBC)
