Sniffer dog Jake, a four year old labrador helped make the discovery at the Calais portIllegal immigrants tried to smuggle themselves into the country by hiding in the body shells of £275,000 Rolls Royces, it was revealed today.
The nine men were discovered by a sniffer dog at Calais Port, France, in a German lorry heading for the luxury car maker in Goodwood, West Sussex.
The stowaways, from the African country of Eritrea, were handed to the French border police and the lorry was allowed to continue on its way.
Rolls Royce Motor Cars today confirmed the lorries usually carry four car body shells and they would have been for either their Rolls Royce Ghost or Phantom.
The Ghost costs around £200,000 and the Phantom £275,000. Stephen Fabman-Beker, from the Rolls-Royce Enthusiasts Club, said: 'The immigrants have certainly got good taste. It does make you wonder how they got in.
Caught: Two illegal immigrants cover their faces after being caught trying to smuggle themselves into the country in the shells of luxury Rolls Royce cars'The only thing the Germans make is the shell, the skeleton. There's no interior or panels. I very much hope they haven't been messing about and damaged anything.'
The aluminium shells are supplied to Rolls Royce technicians from German BMW factories because the car giant owns the famous British brand.
Andrew Ball, from Rolls Royce, said: 'A group of people were found in a truck from one of our suppliers and it was heading for our Goodwood factory.
'They were not complete vehicles but body shells for either our Phantom or Ghost models. The French authorities dealt with the matter and I do not believe there was any damage.'
One of the nine stowaways covers his head and face while he hides inside one of the cars. The German lorry was transporting the luxury vehicles to the car makers in Goodwood, West SussexThe German driver and haulage company each face a potential fine of up to £2,000 per stowaway if they are unable to prove they took steps to secure the vehicle properly.
The immigrants were found at 7.20am on February 15, but the details have only just been released. The sniffer dog was a four-year-old Labrador cross collie called Jake.
Mandy Jones, UK Border Agency deputy director for south and Europe, said: 'This incident shows why we base UK Border Agency staff in France - to stop would-be illegal immigrants before they can reach the UK.
'Our strong presence in French ports like Calais helps protect the whole of the UK from people attempting to enter the country illegally.
'As well as using sniffer dogs, officers also use heartbeat detectors and carbon dioxide probes and physical searches to find people hiding in vehicles.'
The UK Border Agency said they had no details of the ages of the men because it was the responsibility of the French authorities to record such information.
source: dailymail
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