A fishing boat captain and three of his crew were jailed for a total of 11 and-a-half years for trying to smuggle 20 irregular immigrants into the country.

Mohamed Hegazy, 38, the captain, and Abdou Elbahlawan, 28, Mohamed Barakat, 33 and Mohamed Elrawady, 34, all Egyptian and living on the boat Liberty 5, pleaded guilty instead of standing trial by jury.

The boat was intercepted on March 11 last year and 13 Syrians, six Moroccans and one Algerian were found hidden inside the hold.

The captain and his three crew members had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but decided to admit after plea bargaining with the Attorney General.

Mr Justice Michael Mallia sentenced Mr Hegazy to four years in jail and the rest of the crew to two-and-a-half years each.

Lawyer Arthur Azzopardi represented all the defendants.

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