Three men convicted in Belgium over their involvement in a major people smuggling ring were arrested while on the run in the UK.
The men – all Afghan nationals – were arrested by National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service officers in south London, Hertfordshire and Essex after warrants were issued for their arrest by Belgian courts.
Ziarmal Khan (AKA Boxer Bhai), 24, was arrested by officers at Stansted Airport in relation to a domestic violence offence, and further arrested on behalf of the Belgians while in custody.
Specialist NCA extradition officers arrested 20-year-old Zeeshan Banghis (AKA Bangash Zeeshan) at an address on New Kent Road and Saifur Rahman Ahmedzai (AKA Raees Hamza), 23, at an address in Hemel Hempstead.
The men – all Afghan nationals – were arrested by National Crime Agency and Metropolitan Police Service officers in south London, Hertfordshire and Essex after warrants were issued for their arrest by Belgian courts
NCA
Prosecutors in Belgium say they were part of a gang involved in organising the transport of migrants from Afghanistan through Iran, Turkey and the Balkans into western Europe, mainly France and Belgium.
Many were put on small boats from northern France to the UK, with the gang suspected of transporting thousands of people this way.
The group also committed serious sexual offences against male migrant minors, including rape which they would video and use footage to blackmail the victims into criminality and further sexual abuse.
NCA investigators supported the Belgian investigation for around two years, supplying intelligence and evidence to the Belgian Federal Police around suspected members of the network.
Last month, a court in Antwerp convicted and sentenced the trio and 20 other members of the gang to a total of 170 years imprisonment, with sentences ranging from two to 18 years.
Eleven members were tried in their absence, including the three men arrested in the UK.
Ahmedzai was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, while Khan and Banghis were each sentenced to three years in jail. All three were also fined 3,000 Euros.
They now face being returned to Belgium to serve their sentences and extradition proceedings have begun.
Officers also worked with colleagues from Border Force and Immigration Enforcement to identify migrants and victims of the network who had been transported to the UK, conducting safeguarding checks.
NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner said: “This operation shows that no matter where people smuggling gangs operate, we will find them and bring them to justice.
“These men were part of a network involved in illegally moving migrants across the globe, through Europe and eventually into northern Europe and the UK, profiting from the dangerous situations they put vulnerable people into as they were transported, and committing the most heinous sexual offences against them.
“The work done by NCA officers, alongside partners in the UK and Belgium, was crucial to securing the convictions in Antwerp of gang members in November this year, and these further arrests should send a very clear message that we will not stop in our work to disrupt and dismantle the gangs that are behind these horrendous crimes.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, said: “This case is nothing short of sickening. These men ran extensive illegal smuggling operations and inflicted extreme cruelty on the migrants they smuggled – some of them children – when they were at their most vulnerable
“I am grateful to the NCA, Border Force and Immigration Enforcement officers, for their hard work and dedication in pursuing these vile criminal gangs, safeguarding victims of exploitation and protecting our borders.
“As part of the Government’s Plan for Change to strengthen our borders, we are working ever more closely with international partners to track down dangerous criminal networks like these, disrupt their activities and ensure they face the full force of the law, to protect people and save lives.
“In recent weeks we’ve agreed landmark new deals with Iraq and Germany, pledging mutual support and co-operation to tackle this shared challenge. At the Calais Group meeting with European partners too, we agreed to enhance our joint efforts to end this dangerous trade.
“Through this closer international collaboration, joint work between law enforcement agencies, new legislation, and the £150 million cash investment in the Border Security Command, we are making clear we will stop at nothing to protect our borders from people-smuggling gangs.”