Smuggler transported hundreds of illegal migrants into UK – £1,650 for HGV crossing | UK | News
A major people smuggler responsible for transporting hundreds of illegal immigrants to the UK in small boats and HGVs has been jailed, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Ali Omar Khan was sentenced to eight years and seven months in prison at Maidstone Crown Court on Wednesday.
The agency said officers spotted him after a yacht ran aground at Rye in east Sussex, and CCTV showed people jumping ship and swimming towards shore, while others traveled in a boat before fleeing on land. Later, approximately 14 people, including two children, from Iran, Iraq and Albania were detained by Border Force officers within two hours. According to the NCA, the investigation revealed that Karim controlled a network of human traffickers in the Middle East and Northern Europe.
The agency said evidence from the 47-year-old’s phone showed trafficked people paying fees of between £800 and £1,000 to enter the EU, then paying a larger amount to travel from France to the UK.
The messages revealed Karim discussed charging migrants £1,650 per person for HGV transit in November 2022.
On November 17, 2022, a truck was stopped in Calais and two Iraqi citizens were found hidden inside the truck.
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The NCA said there was further evidence to suggest Karim, of Alderman Gardens in Portsmouth, was organizing fake visas so people could travel by plane.
He was arrested in Portsmouth in March 2024 and pleaded guilty to human trafficking in June of the same year.
NCA branch commander Rachel Bramley said: “Karim was a key member of an organized crime group involved in transporting people in HGVs, small boats, yachts and planes.
“He was high up in the chain of command, making decisions about crossing days, routes and prices.
“This was a long-running NCA investigation working with partners in the UK and abroad.
“Tackling organized migration crime is a top priority for the NCA and we are doing all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks behind it wherever they operate.”
