A convicted people smuggler once described by French authorities as the godfather of migrant camps has been found living in the United Kingdom, where he is believed to be seeking asylum while allegedly working illegally.
The discovery was made during a BBC investigation, which traced Iraqi Kurd Twana Jamal to the village of Blaby in Leicestershire after receiving information about his whereabouts.
Jamal was sentenced to five years in prison by a French court in 2016 for running a major people-smuggling network that transported migrants across the English Channel. Prosecutors said he earned as much as £100,000 a week by charging migrants thousands of pounds to reach the UK.
According to the BBC, Jamal was linked to the notorious “Ranya Boys,” a Kurdish criminal gang believed by European law enforcement agencies to have played a leading role in cross-Channel people smuggling for more than a decade.
During surveillance, journalists reportedly observed Jamal working at a convenience store, driving without a valid licence and introducing himself under the name “Sultan.” Investigators also matched a distinctive tattoo on his hand with photographs from his social media accounts, helping confirm his identity.
When confronted, Jamal denied ever being involved in people smuggling or serving a prison sentence in France. However, after being shown a photograph taken during his French trial, he did not deny it was him. He also admitted he had applied for asylum in the UK and was waiting for a decision on his application.
Under UK immigration rules, foreign nationals who have served prison sentences of 12 months or more overseas can face mandatory refusal of asylum. The report, however, raises questions about whether Jamal’s criminal history was detected or whether the use of multiple aliases enabled him to evade immigration checks.
The BBC investigation also found more than 20 suspected people smugglers living in the UK, including several with criminal convictions in France, Germany and Belgium. Some are believed to have claimed asylum using false identities.
Immigration experts say the UK’s departure from the European Union has made it more difficult to access criminal records held by several European countries, limiting authorities’ ability to identify applicants with serious overseas convictions.
In response, the Home Office said all asylum applicants undergo mandatory identity, security and criminality checks. It also stated that the UK continues to share criminal record information through several international agreements and has significantly increased enforcement actions against illegal working.
The findings have renewed debate over border security, asylum screening and the effectiveness of information-sharing between the UK and European countries.