Twana Jamal is seen being approached by reporters in Leicestershire, where he is now living
An Iraqi man once described by French authorities as the “Godfather of traffickers” is now living in the UK, where he is believed to have claimed asylum while working illegally, despite serving a prison sentence for running a major migrant smuggling network.Twana Jamal was jailed for five years in France in 2016 after investigators said he earned up to £100,000 a week by organising illegal Channel crossings. He charged migrants around £4,500 each to transport them into Britain, making him one of the most successful people smugglers they had encountered.
Living in Leicestershire after French prison sentence
Although Jamal was expected to be deported to Iraqi Kurdistan after completing his sentence, a BBC investigation has traced him to the village of Blaby in Leicestershire. Reporters said they saw him working at a shop, driving a car without a licence and apparently using a false name.In a phone call arranged by a source under a false pretext, Jamal claimed he was now based in Leicester and said: “We know everyone in this city, this city is ours.”He also boasted that he was “making good money” and insisted he was not concerned about being caught because “no one touches us here” and “even the police won’t stop you”. When BBC journalists later confronted him in the street, Jamal denied ever being involved in people smuggling. He claimed he had been living in the UK since 2009 and said he had applied for asylum but was “still waiting”. After being shown a photograph of himself in a French courtroom in 2016, he replied, “I don’t care”, when asked whether it proved he had previously been arrested.
During the trial, prosecutors said Jamal had been operating out of the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk since around 2012
His presence in Britain has raised questions over how someone convicted of a serious offence overseas could still seek asylum in the UK. Under current rules, anyone sentenced to at least one year in prison abroad should normally face mandatory refusal of an asylum claim.Downing Street said it was urgently looking into the reports.A Number 10 spokeswoman said: “I’m limited in what I can say on an individual case.’But we share the public’s shock at these reports, and we are working urgently to establish the facts.
From Dunkirk camps to a £100,000-a-week smuggling network
‘We will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system, and that is why we are deporting people with no right to be here at the highest rate in nearly a decade.'”During Jamal’s trial in France, prosecutors said he had been operating from the Grand Synthe migrant camp near Dunkirk from around 2012. He was described as the preferred contact for migrants trying to reach Britain from camps along the French coast and was said to have arranged the transport of around 80 migrants a month in lorries.Jamal initially avoided detection by hiding migrants inside trucks carrying onions and cheese. Those cargoes emitted carbon dioxide, making it harder for border officers to detect people concealed inside using carbon dioxide sensors.
Investigation also uncovered suspected smuggler Kardo Jaf
The court also heard that Jamal was known in the camps by the nickname “Pasha”, a Turkish word used for someone of high rank. Throughout the proceedings, he maintained that the case was one of mistaken identity. The BBC traced Jamal as part of a separate investigation into another suspected people smuggler, Kardo Jaf.Jaf is believed to have led an international smuggling network operating between Afghanistan and the UK. Investigators said he used the alias “Kardo Ranya”, a name taken from the town of Ranya in Iraqi Kurdistan, making it difficult for police to issue an international arrest warrant because it was not his real name.Journalists said they confirmed Jaf’s true identity after infiltrating his network and secretly recording conversations in which he allegedly guaranteed migrants passage to Britain.”In France we’ve got trucks or planes or boats, we’ve got so many ways to get to the UK, whatever way you prefer we’ll get you to the UK,” he was heard saying.Jaf denied being involved in people smuggling and said he had only advised people on how to leave Iraq. He insisted he did not believe he had committed any offence.According to a 2024 report by Chatham House, Iraqi Kurdistan, where both Jamal and Jaf are believed to be from, is an autonomously governed region “riddled with active smuggling networks”.A Home Office spokesperson said: “All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks.” Go to Source
