Chilling drone footage shows dozens crammed onto small boat as pilot jailed

Chilling drone footage shows dozens crammed onto small boat as pilot jailed EXCLUSIVE: Drone footage shows nearly 70 people packed onto a small boat designed to carry a maximum of 20. Algerian national Azzeddine Ain-Bouzid, who was piloting the vessel, has been jailed for two years Chilling drone footage shows nearly 70 asylum seekers, including a pregnant woman, crammed onto a dangerous small boat before its pilot was arrested. People were shown hanging over the side of the tiny vessel, which was designed to carry just 20, as it made the perilous journey. The video helped identify Algerian national Azzeddine Ain-Bouzid, who was steering the boat. On Wednesday the 29-year-old was jailed for two years after pleading guilty to endangering lives at sea and arriving in the UK illegally. Immigration Minister Alex Norris told The Mirror the conviction shows people smugglers will face swift court action. There were 67 people on the UK-bound boat which crossed the Channel on April 18. Ain-Bouzid dropped the boat tiller when it was approached by a Border Security Command vessel. This caused the vessel to lose control, further putting lives at risk. The conviction follows a string of tragedies in the Channel on dangerously overcrowded boats. At least nine people have died making the perilous journey so far this year, including a child. On Saturday a woman who has not been publicly identified became the latest fatality. In December The Mirror reported that at least 36 people, the youngest a girl aged just 8, died while trying to reach the UK in small boats last year. Under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act - which was passed last year - it is an offence to put lives at risk during a sea journey to the UK. Alex Norris, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, told The Mirror: “Today’s sentencing sends a clear message: criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people and threaten our border security will be stopped and brought to justice. That includes those piloting these dangerous small boats. “Our enforcement activity is delivering real results, with disruptions to smuggling networks, including arrests, convictions and seizures up by nearly 50%. But we know there is more work to be done. Through our landmark new UK-France deal, we are boosting law enforcement action on French beaches and investing in action to dismantle these criminal networks for good.” The endangerment offence is intended to equip law enforcement and prosecutors to address acts that cause, or risk, the serious personal injury or death of another, during a journey by sea to the UK. Ain-Bouzid, 29, was jailed for a total of 24 months at Canterbury Crown Court. He was arrested by Home Office Immigration Enforcement officers two days after the footage was taken. Police bodycam footage shows him being taken into custody. The government has pledged to tackle small boat crossings, reaching a landmark new deal with France to boost law enforcement action on beaches earlier this year. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced a series of measures to discourage people coming to the UK, including a controversial proposal to review refugee status every two-and-a-half weeks. But campaign groups have called for safe and legal routes to be expanded. Following the weekend's tragedy, asylum charity Utopia 56 said: "If international law were respected and if safe passage routes existed, this would not have happened." Ms Mahmood has vowed to introduce more legal routes in the future.