Bodybuilder, 44, who was once crowned Britain's Strongest Man is jailed for almost six years after smuggling 17 Albanian migrants into the UK on a catamaran

  • Jimmy Marku, 44, won the strongman competition in 2008, but in jail by 2012
  • In May 2016, 17 Albanians were found below deck on boat at Chichester Marina
  • The Albanian-born Briton admitted conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration
  • Catamaran skipper Stephen Jackson also admitted his part in the conspiracy
  • Jimmy's brother Jetmir and Alex Sefolli, 39, were both cleared of involvement
  • But Sefolli was convicted of hiring two illegal immigrants as workers in 2017

Jimmy Marku (pictured outside Isleworth Crown Court in June) admitted conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration

Jimmy Marku (pictured outside Isleworth Crown Court in June) admitted conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration

A bodybuilder who was once crowned Britain's Strongest Man was today jailed for just under three years for smuggling 17 Albanians into the UK on a catamaran.

Jimmy Marku, 44, won the strongman competition in 2008, but four years later he was locked up for nine months for his part in a £65,000 cannabis deal.

The Albanian-born Briton admitted conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration after the 17 Albanians were found below deck on a boat called Fortunella, at Chichester Marina in May 2016.

Australian Stephen Jackson, the catamaran skipper, also admitted his part in the conspiracy, Isleworth Crown Court heard.

Jimmy's brother Jetmir Marku, 36, along with former Tapas bar owner Alex Sefolli, 39, were cleared of involvement in the plot after a lengthy trial.

But Sefolli, who also owned construction companies in Northampton, was convicted of hiring two illegal immigrants as workers in September 2017.

Judge Jonathan Ferris jailed Jimmy Marku for 5 years 11 months, but he will only serve half of that before he is released on licence.

He told Marku:'You conspired with Stephen Jackson the boat captain and with others unknown to smuggle 17 Albanian illegal immigrants into the UK on a catamaran called the Fortunella whose purchase had been funded by Alex Sefolli your co-defendant.

'The 17 Albanians were all men. One of them was a known gangster with previous convictions in the UK for serious crimes including drugs dealing and who had already been deported once from the UK.

Police officers boarded a catamaran, called the Fortunella, at Chichester Marina in May 2016. They found 17 Albanians hiding below deck (pictured: Former Britain's Strongest Man Jimmy Marku)

Police officers boarded a catamaran, called the Fortunella, at Chichester Marina in May 2016. They found 17 Albanians hiding below deck (pictured: Former Britain's Strongest Man Jimmy Marku)

'You were a significant player in this conspiracy with a full understanding of the extent of the conspiracy, the scheme for the transhipment of the illegals, and a significant participant in the events leading up to and including the transhipment of 17 illegal Albanians into the UK.

'You were, like other conspirators, doing it for money.

'The benefit of lawful immigration is widely acknowledged, but illegal immigration has contaminated attitudes to all immigration, illegal immigration leads to extensive exploitation in the labour market.

'The vulnerable illegals are exploited by their knowing employers.

Judge Ferris He told Marku:'You conspired with Stephen Jackson the boat captain and with others unknown to smuggle 17 Albanian illegal immigrants into the UK on a catamaran'

Judge Ferris He told Marku:'You conspired with Stephen Jackson the boat captain and with others unknown to smuggle 17 Albanian illegal immigrants into the UK on a catamaran'

'The value of legal workers in the labour market is undermined to their detriment by the presence of exploited illegals in the same market.

'Illegal immigration undermines the ability of a modern society to supervise who should have the right to work here and who should not: it deprives the state of the right to exclude gangsters and other criminals who have already been deported, and others.

'Your involvement in this conspiracy to facilitate was at a more senior executive level than Stephen Jackson's, as is apparent from the instructions to him from you on the morning of the departure of the Fortunella, and your long-standing involvement in the conspiracy both in the UK and Albania, and the bridge between him and Albania.'

Sefolli was given a two years suspended sentence with 200 hours unpaid work and three months' curfew 9pm-6.30am.

Judge Ferris said the curfew should not impact badly on Sefolli's routine as his work sheets showed he had never arrived before 8am.

He said: 'You were found guilty of two counts of assisting or facilitating illegal immigration by providing employment and assistance to illegal immigrants.

'You had access to illegal Albanian immigrants with construction site experience and you arranged for them to be employed on the company's projects.

'The obvious connection between your business and the illegal immigrants from Albania is via your co-defendant and fellow Albanian Jimmy Marku who was actively involved in the facilitation of illegal young male immigrants from Albania.'

Speaking of one of the men Sefolli was convicted of assisting and employing Judge Ferris said: 'Not only were you assisting an illegal immigrant, you were exploiting a young foreigner's vulnerable immigration status by paying him less than the market wage, and delaying payment of his wages. He worked for you for years.

Christopher Amis, prosecuting, told Isleworth Crown Court how the people smuggling plot was uncovered when officers intercepted the catamaran captained by Jackson.

Jimmy’s brother Jetmir Marku (pictured), 36, along with former Tapas bar owner Alex Sefolli, 39, were cleared of involvement in the plot after a lengthy trial

Jimmy’s brother Jetmir Marku (pictured), 36, along with former Tapas bar owner Alex Sefolli, 39, were cleared of involvement in the plot after a lengthy trial

'When police boarded the boat as he arrived in Chichester Marina on 23 May 2016 they discovered 17 Albanian nationals hiding below deck.

'None of them had visas, as is required, to enter the UK. Mr Jackson was arrested and the investigation followed.'

On the day the catamaran sailed across the Channel Jackson texted his girlfriend and said: 'Hey babe, all is well. Lots of sick f****rs'.

Mr Amis told jurors: 'In other words, his human cargo was very seasick in the hull bellow.

'The boat is crossing the channel, it has 17 rather sick Albanians on board. At 5am it was spotted in the English Channel by an English maritime unit.'

An officer in the unit approached the boat and spoke to Jackson.

'His suspicions were aroused because another man he saw on the deck didn't look much like a sailor to him.'

The boat was allowed to continue its journey, but police in Chichester had been alerted and boarded it as it arrived. 

The 17 Albanians have since been deported from the UK.

The prosecutor told the court Sefolli hired Albanians to work on his building sites, knowing they did not have the right to work in the UK.

Sefolli claimed he had nothing to do with hiring the workers, and that the site was operated by his brother.

Mr Amis said: 'After making the checks, the officers left and returned on 5 September 2017.

Judge Jonathan Ferris jailed Jimmy Marku (pictured during the strongman competition) for 5 years 11 months

 Judge Jonathan Ferris jailed Jimmy Marku (pictured during the strongman competition) for 5 years 11 months

'They revisited the building site on 5 September 2017, once again to check whether there were people working there illegally.

'On that occasion, two men tried to flee the scene but they were stopped and escorted back to the site.'

When asked for documents, one of the men presented a fake Greek driving licence.

Sefolli admitted he was in charge of managing the site but denied employing any of the men.

Jimmy Marku, of Greenview Close, Ealing, admitted conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration in relation to the 17 Albanians.

Jetmir Marku, also of Greenview Close, Ealing, was acquitted of conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration and three charges of facilitating unlawful migration.

Sefolli, of Scholars Court, Northampton, was convicted of two charges of facilitating unlawful migration, namely the hiring two illegal immigrants, Florian Arifaj and Liridan Mazrreku but cleared of a third like charge.

He was also cleared of conspiracy to facilitate unlawful migration in relation to the 17 Albanians. 

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