Slovakian Man Jailed for Smuggling Vietnamese Woman into UK in Car Dashboard

Jozef Balog, who hid the woman in a custom-built compartment, was intercepted by Border Force officers in France and now faces deportation.

Jozef Balog, a Slovakian national, was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for attempting to smuggle a Vietnamese woman into the UK by hiding her in a custom-built compartment behind the dashboard of his car.
Balog was intercepted by Border Force officers in June 2022 at the UK control zone in Coquelles, northern France, while driving his British-registered car.
Officers became suspicious when they noticed the carpet on the passenger side was further forward into the footwell than usual, leading them to discover the hidden compartment.
The Vietnamese woman was identified as an illegal entrant and served with paperwork for deportation.
Balog, who has already served 19 months in custody, can be released on licence having already spent the equivalent of half his sentence in jail. He is now expected to face deportation.