People smuggler convicted in France now seeking asylum in UK, BBC discovers
A convicted people smuggler, once described as "the godfather" of the French migrant camps, is living in Leicestershire and believed to be seeking asylum while
A convicted people smuggler, once described as "the godfather" of the French migrant camps, is living in Leicestershire and believed to be seeking asylum while working illegally, a BBC investigation can reveal. Twana Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, where authorities described him as one of the most successful people smugglers ever caught.
Prosecutors said the Iraqi Kurd, aged 36 at the time, had earned up to £100,000 a week for moving illegal immigrants across the Channel. Following a tip-off this year, we traced Jamal to the village of Blaby and witnessed him working, driving a car without a licence and apparently using a false name.
Jamal's presence in the UK raises serious concerns about whether existing border controls are effective in checking asylum seekers who have committed serious crimes overseas. Immigration officers have told the BBC that since the UK left the European Union, it has become more difficult to check criminal records from some other countries.
We have also been told by law enforcement officials in mainland Europe that 15 other convicted people smugglers are now living in the UK under false names.
The BriefWire