People Smuggler Jailed for Role in £12.3M Trafficking Operation

A former fisherman, Ahmed Ebid, has been sentenced to prison for his role in a £12.3 million people-smuggling operation that trafficked thousands of migrants from Libya to Europe. Ebid, who was operating out of his taxpayer-funded apartment in Isleworth, London, helped organize overcrowded fishing vessels, charging migrants around £3,300 each for passage. His operations came to light after Italian authorities traced emergency satellite calls from the migrant boats to Ebid’s mobile number in the UK, and surveillance revealed he acted as a “virtual skipper,” coordinating smuggling efforts using coded language and banned phones.

In a separate case, two British nationals, Shafaz Khan and Choudhry Rashied, were sentenced for attempting to smuggle four Indian men into the UK. The migrants were found in a cramped, makeshift den underneath dirty tyres in a van driven from Belgium. Border Force officers at Newhaven Ferry Port uncovered the smuggling operation, and further phone analysis revealed the smugglers’ use of “burner” phones. Both Khan and Rashied received sentences of over five years for conspiring to facilitate illegal entry, highlighting the dangerous and exploitative practices used by people smugglers.

These cases serve as stark reminders of the ongoing challenges UK authorities face in combating people smuggling networks. The National Crime Agency is working closely with international partners to dismantle these operations. The sentences handed down to those involved in such criminal activities underscore the severe legal consequences of engaging in people smuggling, reinforcing the importance of maintaining strict border security to prevent such operations from continuing.