Iranian jailed in UK for organising Channel boat crossings

LONDON: An Iranian man was jailed for 17 years on Friday for organising small boat Channel crossings for migrants to enter the UK, as Britain vows to “smash the gangs” of people smugglers.

Amanj Hasan Zada, who called himself “the best smuggler”, was found guilty of three counts of facilitating illegal immigration, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

He was linked to three small boat crossings of Kurds from northern France in November and December 2023, which the NCA said he organised from his home in Lancashire, northwest England.

Zada, 34, used social media to promote his services, including videos of those he had smuggled thanking him.

One video uncovered by investigators showed him being feted in a Kurdish song as “the best smuggler” as he threw cash in the air and fired a gun in celebration.

“Amanj Hasan Zada ran a sophisticated people smuggling enterprise, using social media to advertise his services”, said NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke.

“While we have uncovered evidence directly linking him to three specific crossings, there is no doubt in my mind that he was likely to have been involved in many more.”

The conviction came just days after the NCA arrested nine other people in the UK as part of Interpol´s largest-ever operation against people smuggling.

This week British Prime Minister Keir Starmer pledged additional funding to “smash the gangs” behind the crossings, as concerns grow over the number of undocumented migrants making the perilous journey.