Defending Singh, Talbir Singh KC said he came to the UK aged 18 as an Italian national after his family moved from India to Italy.<\/p>\n
The court heard he worked legally in the UK and met co-conspirators while working in construction, earning \u00a34,000 to \u00a34,500 a month.<\/p>\n
The barrister said it seemed “incongruous” Singh allowed himself to enter a conspiracy when he had no real financial need, and there was evidence he was “a subordinate, not the architect of a conspiracy”.<\/p>\n
Following sentencing, Peter Cockrill, district crown prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service South East, said Singh was an Indian national who played a key role, “putting individuals at serious risk”.<\/p>\n
Cockrill said the plot was exposed when 11 Indian nationals were found hiding in the trailer of a lorry stopped at Dover in December 2024.<\/p>\n
He said that and another incident led officers to Singh and his address in Wolverhampton.<\/p>\n
The CPS will now apply for a confiscation order, Cockrill said.<\/p>\n
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