Criminals responsible for hundreds of dangerous small boat crossings are being sanctioned – meaning they face having their assets seized and will be barred from entering the UK
These are the faces of gangsters and crooks responsible for hundreds of deadly small boats crossings.
Today they become the first people smugglers in the world to be sanctioned after the first wave of criminals was named. All face having their assets seized, and anyone in the UK caught doing business with them will face hefty sanctions.
Among the 25 traffickers and organisations named by the Foreign Office are notorious gang leader Bledar Lala. The Albanian leads the Belgian operation of an organised criminal group earning huge sums moving people across Europe. Also pictured is Mariwan Jamal, who controls money movements through a Hawala banker. This handles payments to people-smugglers from migrants in Iraq, the Government said.
Fellow banker Muhammed Khadir Pirot, who controls payments from people being smuggled from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to Europe via Turkey, was also hit with sanctions.
And Iraqi-linked traffickers Goran Assad Jalal and Hemin Ali Salih were also named. The duo are known to have helped smuggle migrants across the Channel in the backs of lorries, the Foreign Office said. The list also includes former Serbian police translator Alen Basil, who leads a network with the help of corrupt officers.
Scroll down for the full list of those sanctioned, and the reasons
READ MORE: DAVID LAMMY: ‘Until today nobody has been using this powerful tool to degrade smuggling networks’
The individuals and entities names a small boat supplier in Asia and gang leaders based in the Balkans and North Africa. The Foreign Office has also hit “middlemen” putting cash through the Hawala legal money transfer system in the Middle East. This is used in payments linked to Channel crossings.
Writing for The Mirror, Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Any credible plan starts with more pressure on smugglers. They’re the ones risking vulnerable lives. They’re the ones raking in the profits.
“In foreign policy, we often use sanctions to ramp up pressure on others. We’ve already seen how effective our sanctions have been in disrupting cyber crime and hitting Putin’s war chest. But until today nobody has been using this powerful tool to degrade smuggling networks.
“I said I would change that. And this week, I have.” He said the initiative is “just the beginning” – and other countries have shown an interest in following the UK’s lead.
Mr Lammy wrote: “We are going to identify new targets. And now, when we identify someone plying this vile trade overseas with connections to Britain, we have another tool in our arsenal to do something about it.
“We are pushing for others to follow our lead. I’ve already spoken to partners, in Europe and beyond, about introducing similar powers. There’s a lot of interest – others can see Britain is setting out a bold new approach.”
Those named on the list will be banned from entering the UK. The sanctions scheme is similar to the targeting of Russian oligarchs linked to the invasion of Ukraine. Those named carried out a range of jobs facilitating dangerous crossings – from providing fake passports, transporting engine parts and moving cash.
Ministers hope the move will help deliver a hammer blow to an industry which has grown to be worth over £10billion a year in the last five years. UK firms who deal with sanctioned individuals will face hefty fines worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.
The move follows legislation being introduced under the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to ramp up enforcement powers for police forces and partners to investigate and prosecute people smugglers.
It comes days after a landmark treaty was signed with Germany – where gangs have been found to store small boat components – to work together on people smuggling. German law meant that previously it was unable to step in to stop smuggling to the UK as it is not a member of the EU.
Announcing the sanctions regime would be put in place earlier this week, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “The new sanctions regime marks a decisive step in our fight against the criminal gangs who profit from human misery. It will allow us to target the assets and operations of people-smugglers wherever they operate, cutting off their funding and dismantling their networks piece by piece.”
Full list of those who have been sanctioned
Iraqi-linked people-smuggling
- Goran Assad Jalal, formed part of an organised crime group which stowed migrants in refrigerated lorries which crossed the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom on at least ten occasions between January and March 2019.
- Hemin Ali Salih, helped smuggle migrants into the UK in the backs of lorries.
- Dedawan Dazey, a people smuggler who runs safe houses for migrants in Northern France before they are smuggled to the United Kingdom.
- Roman Ranyaye, an Iraqi people smuggler responsible for the smuggling of migrants from Asia to Europe.
- Azad Khoshnaw, for supplying inflatable boats, onboard motors and other maritime equipment for use in people-smuggling of migrants from France to the UK.
- Nuzad Khoshnaw, for equipping gangs in Northern France with outboard motors, inflatable boats, and other maritime equipment for use in people-smuggling to the UK.
- Nihad Mohsin Xoshnaw, for providing inflatable boats, outboard motors and other maritime equipment used by migrants to cross the English Channel from France.
Hawala Network
- Muhammed Khadir Pirot, a hawala banker who controls payments from people being smuggled from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to Europe via Turkey.
- Mariwan Jamal, controls money movements through a Hawala banker, which handles payments to people-smugglers from migrants in Iraq.
- Rafiq Shaqlaway, involved in hawala banking as an advisor to migrants looking to pay smugglers operating routes into Europe via Turkey.
North African gangs operating in the Balkans
- Kazawi Gang, a people-smuggling network which controls people-smuggling routes from North Africa into the EU known to deal out harsh punishments to migrants who are unable to pay.
- Tetwani Gang, known as one of the Balkan’s most violent people-smuggling gangs, members are reported to hold migrants for ransom and sexually abuse women unable to pay their fees.
Gangland bosses
- Bledar Lala, leads a smuggling ring moving people from Belgium across the English Channel to the UK.
- Alen Basil, a former police translator who through violence and intimidation became boss of a large people-smuggling network.
- Mohammed Tetwani, the head of the ‘Tetwani’ gang and self-styled “King” of Horgos in Serbia.
- Yassine Al Maghribi Al-Kasaoui, the boss of the “Kazawi” gang.
Balkan gangs supplying fake passports
- Kavač Gang, a Balkan organised crime organisation known to use fake passports to smuggle its gang members between the Balkans and Turkey.
- Škaljari Gang, an organised crime organisation in Montenegro that smuggles criminals between the Balkans and Turkey.
- Dalibor Ćurlik, procures fake passports and forged documents for use in the Kavač gang’s people-smuggling.
- Almir Jahović, member of the Kavač gang, which is involved in supplying fake passports for smuggling gang members across borders
- Marko Petrović, a member of the Kavač gang which sources false identification and passports for use in people-smuggling.
- Nikola Vein helps the Škaljari Gang secure fake passports and travel documents for use in people-smuggling.
- Ratko Živković, a Škaljari Gang associate, which gathers fake passports for the purpose of smuggling gang members across borders.
- Dejan Pavlović, a member or close associate of the Škaljari Gang, which supports the manufacture of false identities and passports.
The following company based in China has been designated over the manufacture of inflatable boats being advertised for people-smuggling.
- Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co
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