A convicted Iraqi Kurdish people smuggler who once operated as a major kingpin in French migrant camps is currently living illegally and seeking asylum in Leicestershire, United Kingdom, a BBC News investigative report confirmed on Thursday. Twana Jamal, who received a five-year prison sentence in France in 2016, was previously described by European authorities as one of the most successful human traffickers ever apprehended. Prosecutors during his trial demonstrated that the operative earned up to 100,000 pounds a week by moving undocumented migrants across the English Channel. Following a recent tip-off, investigative journalists tracked Jamal to the village of Blaby, where they witnessed him working, driving without a license, and using a suspected alias.
The presence of the prominent people smuggler within British borders raises significant concerns regarding the efficacy of current border controls in screening asylum seekers with serious overseas criminal records. United Kingdom immigration officials informed reporters that since the country withdrew from the European Union, cross-border checks on criminal backgrounds from continental Europe have become substantially more complicated. The wider investigation revealed that more than 20 active human traffickers have successfully reached British soil, with several individuals possessing overseas convictions or pursuing asylum claims under entirely fabricated names to evade law enforcement.
This exposure formed part of a broader journalistic operation that previously led to the arrest of another high-profile people smuggler named Kardo Jaf, a narrative detailed in the radio documentary series titled To Catch A King. Jamal was heavily linked to the Ranya Boys, a dominant Kurdish gang that law enforcement agencies state has controlled a significant portion of cross-Channel trafficking operations over the past 15 years. Under British immigration laws, individuals sentenced to 12 months or more in an overseas prison face mandatory refusal of their asylum applications. What remains unclear is whether immigration authorities failed to cross-check Jamal`s international biometric data or if his extensive use of aliases allowed him to bypass the system.
French judicial records indicate that between 2012 and 2016, Jamal operated extensively out of the Grande Synthe refugee camp located near Dunkirk. During this period, his network charged desperate clients between 4,500 and 5,000 pounds each to arrange clandestine transit inside freight lorries, which was the preferred method before small boats became common. His immense influence earned him the moniker Pasha among camp residents, symbolizing his high rank within the illicit trade. Although Jamal claimed a case of mistaken identity during his trial, French judges convicted him and ordered his mandatory deportation to Iraqi Kurdistan upon his release.
During the original prosecution, legal authorities noted that Jamal utilized so many distinct aliases that he routinely inscribed his active assumed name inside his baseball cap to avoid self-contradiction. When confronted directly by the news team regarding his extensive smuggling background, Jamal denied the allegations, asserting that he was merely an applicant waiting for an asylum decision. However, an audio recording obtained via a pretextual call showed Jamal boasting about his influence in Leicester, claiming ownership over the city while detailing his lucrative illegal employment involving moving contraband cigarettes from a local warehouse.
