People smugglers' yacht used to get illegal migrants into Britain goes up for auction

A yacht that was used by people smugglers to offer a “premium” service allowing asylum seekers to reach British shores has gone up for auction.

The Uforia yacht was used by Ukrainian nationals Vladyslav Cherniavskyi, 37, and Oleksandr Yavtushenko, 43, to smuggle migrants last year.

The two men took the yacht from northern France, with five migrants on board, four Albanian men and one Vietnamese woman, and attempted to travel to the UK.

The five migrants each paid £13,500 to use the smuggling service.

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The yacht was intercepted off the coast of the Isle of Wight after a tip-off by French authorities.

Border Force officers escorted the yacht to Gosport Marina in Hampshire, where it still remains today.

Cherniavskyi and Yavtushenko were jailed for six and five years respectively in March.

The judge said during their sentencing that they were involved in “an insidious black market, draining families of money and perpetuating the misery of illegal immigration.

The yacht is worth an estimated £14,960 and has finally been put up for auction by Wilsons Auctions and is due to be sold at the end of the month.

Wilsons Auctions wrote that the boat is “known for solid construction, stable handling, and forgiving nature, making it a great choice for both experienced sailors and those stepping up to a capable offshore yacht.”

An inspection of the yacht read: “A visual inspection has only been carried out on this vessel, the auxiliary engine was not started and no operational testing was undertaken, during which no readily apparent external defects were observed.

“Externally, the vessel exhibited general signs of age and use, including worn paint finishes to the hull.

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“The mast and standing rig appeared to be in place at the time of inspection; however, the age and service history of the rigging could not be verified.

“The hull appeared, in so far as could be visually ascertained during the inspection afloat, to be structurally serviceable: however bilge water was present.”

The vessel was seen making multiple trips across the English Channel between August 2024 and July 2025.

In August last year, sailors spotted the two men making a “clumsy attempt” to moor the yacht at Itchenor, in Chichester Harbour.

Six people were seen departing the boat on that occasion.

A woman and child were also transported to the same harbour from France in June 2025.

Experts have warned that people smuggling to small ports and harbours is a “very real threat,” despite the Home Office saying the occurrence is rare.

A convicted people smuggler previously told the BBC that private marinas were “easy” and “low-risk” to smuggle migrants into.

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