‘Merchants of death’ people-smuggling gang jailed

Eighteen members of an international people-smuggling ring responsible for thousands of dangerous small boat crossings in the English Channel have been sentenced in France. The gang, primarily composed of Iraqi Kurds, was convicted following a Europe-wide investigation that led to arrests across the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. Prosecutors described the gang as “merchants of death,” underlining the extreme risks they exposed migrants to for profit.

The leader of the operation, Mirkhan Rasoul, received the heaviest sentence—15 years in prison—during a court hearing in Lille on Tuesday. Rasoul, 26, had already been convicted on other smuggling charges and was serving an eight-year sentence for attempted murder. Despite being incarcerated in France, Rasoul orchestrated his people-smuggling business from his prison cell, allegedly overseeing a network responsible for as many as 10,000 illegal crossings.

The court also sentenced 17 other members of the gang, including one woman and an Iranian man who had been arrested in the UK before being extradited to France. Many of those convicted were involved in a highly organized operation that controlled much of the illegal boat traffic across the Channel from northern France. The National Crime Agency (NCA) in the UK described the group as “one of the most prolific” smuggling rings they had encountered.

As part of the international investigation in 2022, law enforcement agencies seized over 100 boats, more than 1,000 life jackets, and various engines and equipment. The gang’s illegal activities were exposed through a collaborative effort involving multiple European police forces. The operation generated 67 tonnes of evidence, illustrating the scale of the gang’s operations.

The smuggling operation was notorious for its reckless disregard for human life. The gang overloaded small boats, sometimes cramming up to 15 times the number of people the vessels were designed to carry. The migrants, many of whom were fleeing conflict and poverty in the Middle East, were often put in life-threatening situations with little to no safety precautions.

Craig Turner, deputy director of the National Crime Agency, condemned the group’s actions in a statement. “Their sole motive was profit, and they had no concern for the lives they endangered,” he said. “The boats they used were wholly inadequate for the dangerous journey across the Channel.”

The prosecution’s case highlighted the cold, profit-driven nature of the gang’s operations. Rasoul and his associates charged large sums of money for passage to the UK, yet provided minimal safety measures, endangering the lives of those who had already risked so much to escape hardship. Many migrants who paid for passage faced overcrowded, dilapidated boats and perilous conditions.

The court in Lille imposed substantial financial penalties on the convicted individuals. Rasoul was fined €200,000 (£167,745), and the total amount in fines handed down by the court amounted to €1.445 million (£1.2 million). The substantial fines were part of the broader strategy to dismantle the gang’s operations and make clear that people-smuggling is a criminal enterprise that can no longer operate with impunity.

The sentencing has been welcomed by officials, who have praised the cross-border cooperation that made the operation a success. The NCA, along with French law enforcement, highlighted the importance of international collaboration in tackling organized crime that operates across multiple borders.

In conclusion, this significant ruling serves as a stern warning to people-smuggling networks operating in Europe and beyond. The case also underscores the dangerous, exploitative nature of people smuggling, where vulnerable individuals are preyed upon by criminal enterprises with no regard for their safety. The dismantling of this gang marks a critical step in the ongoing efforts to combat illegal immigration and human trafficking across the English Channel.