CONVICTED PEOPLE SMUGGLER LIVING AND WORKING IN UK, BBC INVESTIGATION REVEALS

A man convicted of people smuggling in France is residing in Leicestershire and believed to be seeking asylum whilst working illegally in the United Kingdom, according to a BBC investigation. Twana Jamal received a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, with French authorities describing him as one of the most successful people smugglers ever apprehended. Prosecutors stated that Jamal, an Iraqi Kurd, earned up to £100,000 per week transporting illegal immigrants across the Channel. Following a tip-off in 2024, BBC journalists traced Jamal to the village of Blaby, where they observed him working, driving a car without a licence and apparently using a false name.

From approximately 2012 until 2016, Jamal operated from the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk, charging customers between £4,500 and £5,000 to cross to the United Kingdom. He was linked to the so-called Ranya Boys, described by European law enforcement agencies as one of a small number of Kurdish gangs that have dominated cross-channel people smuggling over the past 15 years. The BBC investigation identified more than 20 active smugglers who have reached the UK, some carrying overseas convictions and some claiming asylum under false names. Immigration officers told the BBC that since the UK left the European Union, checking criminal records from certain other countries has become more difficult.

Jamal's presence in the UK raises concerns about the effectiveness of existing border controls in screening asylum seekers with serious criminal convictions overseas. The BBC investigation formed part of a broader inquiry that led to the arrest of people smuggler Kardo Jaf, with details documented in a BBC Radio 4 podcast.