A MAN involved in a sophisticated people smuggling racket has been jailed for two years.

Daniel Coates, 29, was paid £2,000 for every successful trip in which he was an intermediary with the Asian organisers bringing in people mainly from the Punjab at up to £4,000 a head.

He appeared for sentence at Canterbury Crown Court having admitted conspiring to facilitate a breach of immigration law between June 30 and December 1, 2003.

It was Coates’ job to recruit credible drivers, usually white couples, to drive vehicles from France in which the immigrants, often 10 at a time were concealed.

His activities were brought to an end when he was arrested with another man in Dieppe in November 2003 and jailed for 18 months, serving almost 12 months, and banned from entering France for five years.

Others also involved in the racket have subsequently appeared in court and also been jailed. Coates was arrested as he left the Harwich ferry in September 2006.

"This was well run and sophisticated and was able to continue to run despite arrests of various participants," said Anthony Prosser, prosecuting.

Of the 58 immigrants involved with Coates, 39 were intercepted. Had all the operations been successful, they could have netted up to £232,000. Coates accepted at least four times he was the team leader.

Joseph Boothby, for Coates, of Darenth Wood Road, Dartford, asked the court to bear in mind Coates had served nearly 12 months in a foreign jail.

Jailing Coates, Judge Michael O’Sullivan said he gave Coates credit for his plea and treated him as of previous good character but his was an important role and he must be sentenced on that basis. Neither a fine or community sentence were justified.