Two Leicestershire mini-marts linked to a convicted people smuggler exposed in a investigation have been closed by the local council.
Twana Jamal, once described as “the godfather” of migrant camps in northern France, was recently confronted by our reporting team while running one of the stores, in Blaby on the outskirts of Leicester.
Reporters had witnessed him working illegally at both shops, making deliveries, driving a BMW without a licence, and apparently using a false name.
The shops – both called Candy Corner – have now been shut for 72 hours by the local council, Blaby District, under anti-social behaviour laws. An application for a three-month closure will be made at Leicester Magistrates Court on Monday 6 July.
Jamal is believed to have been seeking asylum in the UK. He told us he had applied and was “still waiting”. It is not known what name he used on any application.
UK law says anyone who has spent 12 months or more in prison overseas should be refused asylum.
The Iraqi Kurd 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 – earning up to £100,000 a week from moving illegal immigrants across the Channel.
At that time, the mode of travel preferred by cross-channel smugglers was freight lorries rather than small boats.