As Briton Gets Convicted for People Trafficking

The law courts in The Gambia are understandably not taking the issue of illegal migration lightly as the unsavory ramifications of the vice increasingly come to bear.

A magistrates’ court in the Kanifing municipality last Friday convicted a British national, Michael Russel, for his involvement in people trafficking.

Michael Russel was sometime last year arrested by Gambian security agents in the Gambian territorial waters in an apparent attempt to ferry people across to the European Union through Spain.

Shortly before the court handed down its verdict, the prosecution officer, 772 Samateh, adduced that Michael Russel had collected D55,000 from the team leader of the journey in order to help the aspiring migrants embark on the perilous sea journey.

Michael was dragged to the Bundung Magistrates’ Court by one Lamin Sambou, who filed a lawsuit against him, for recovery of D55,000.

In handing down judgement following Michael’s own plea of guilty, magistrate J. George sentenced him to serve 12 months in prisons for human trafficking. The magistrate also issued an order for him to refund the D55,000 to Lamin Sambou and failure of this may mean he would go to jail for another 12 years.