Iraqi asylum seeker jailed for running small boat migrant smuggling ring | UK | News
Ramal Briem (Image: NCA)
A people-smuggling ringleader believed to be behind hundreds of illegal ‘small boat’ migrant crossings into the UK has been jailed for more than 10 years.
Iraqi asylum seeker Ramal Briem, 33, was running an international smuggling operation from his home in Wolverhampton before he was set upon by the National Crime Agency.
Messages on his phone showed he and another gang member known as ‘Kevin’ were discussing the movement of “chickens”, or people waiting for illegal crossings, in northern France. Briem is understood to have helped hundreds of migrants make such journeys to the UK.
‘Kevin’ was one of four crime group members arrested by the UK version of the FBI in April 2024 and extradition proceedings are ongoing as he is wanted in France. The other three were charged in England.
In an improved exchange, the two discuss fees for transporting immigrants and then agree on a fee of $11 for the price of $10.
Phone call via ‘Chickens’
‘Kevin’: If possible, the price of 1 chicken is 1,500 pounds. I’ll give it all to you
Briem: Yes, 1500. Give it to me
‘Kevin’: Ok I’ll give you the chicken. I currently have over 30 chickens in Dunkerque. I need them to finish this time. And next time I have a new chicken, I’ll give it to you.
Briem: Okay. Next time I’ll need your whole chicken.
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Briem personally helped arrange the relocation of six migrants to Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, in March 2024.
Staffordshire Police arrested only one of the illegal arrivals, while the rest managed to escape.
However, subsequent investigations showed that Briem’s phone was communicating with a French number located in France; This was the same number that tried to contact Briem during the seizure of the Dutch registered truck involved in the Staffordshire incident.
Briem admitted arriving in the UK illegally on a small boat in late 2020, then claiming asylum and saying he found himself in a financial bind because he was unable to work legally.
He said he met ‘Kevin’ who was interested in how he came to England because he wanted to bring some relatives from Germany.
Briem also admitted collecting large sums of money by visiting several addresses in Croydon and Birmingham, which he then gave to an unidentified man in the car.
Migrants sit on the boat as they prepare to sail (Image: Getty Images)
On one occasion he claimed to have collected a total of £16,000 (including £9,000 and £7,000) from ‘Kevin’ at an address in Croydon, which he was told was cigarette-related. He said he handed over the cash to another person as instructed and was paid £300 and £350 in return. The prosecution claimed that this money was related to smuggling activities, not cigarettes.
Briem pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to assist illegal immigration at Wolverhampton Crown Court in October 2024. Today he was sentenced to 10 years and two months in prison at Worcester Crown Court.
NCA branch commander Saju Sasikumar said: “The language Ramal Briem used to describe people shows his complete disregard for human life.
Caption: Ramal Briem, human trafficker who called immigrants ‘chicken’, sentenced to prison (Image: NCA)
Human trafficker Ramal Briem, who called immigrants ‘chicken’, was sentenced to prison (Image: NCA)
“To him, immigrants were nothing more than a commodity to be bartered entirely for his own financial benefit, despite the serious risks they took during these perilous journeys.
“Migrants may want to come to the UK to make a better life for themselves and their families, but choosing to sneak into the UK using smugglers like Briem automatically puts them at risk of becoming involved in debt bondage or modern slavery situations.
“NCA will continue to work with both international and local partners, including the CPS, to bring criminals like Ramal Briem to justice and disrupt the organized crime groups behind this evil trade.”
Senior Prosecutor Hilary Ryan, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “Ramal Briem was part of an international criminal group working across Europe to bring immigrants illegally to the UK. He offered to arrange accommodation on small boats for other organized crime groups.”
Worcester Crown Court (Image: Getty Images)
“My colleagues and I are working around the clock with law enforcement to prosecute those who break our immigration laws and damage community relations to make money for themselves.”
The NCA is currently leading nearly 100 ongoing investigations into the networks or individuals at the highest echelons of organized immigration crime or human trafficking, who cause the most harm and are the hardest to reach. Some of these are at the top of the NCA’s priority list.
At every step of the route, the NCA targets and disrupts organized crime groups operating in source countries, transit countries, France and Belgium near the UK border, and within the UK.
Last week, the Express reported that an increase in illegal immigrants from Iraq was expected. Donald TrumpThe ongoing war in the Middle East.
