Latest news with #AzizeBenaniba
Telegraph
18-07-2025
- Telegraph
Children smuggled from Britain to France in reverse Channel crossings
Children as young as five were smuggled in refrigerated lorries heading to France by a London-based gang in a rare example of a reverse illegal Channel crossing. Investigators believe the gang carried out 20 runs between February and October 2023, the equivalent of more than two a month. Migrant smuggling from the UK to France is rare but demonstrates the continued lengths gangs are going to profit from people smuggling, in whichever direction. In 2024, 93 migrants were arrested for crossing illegally from the UK to France, according to data from the Hauts-de-France prefecture. The migrants trafficked by the London gang were brought to the UK on tourist visas, which can allow arrivals to stay for up to six months. Migrants who arrive legally in the UK on tourist visas can not necessarily be deported if stopped at the French border. Once they arrived, the migrants, who were from French-speaking North African countries, were packed into lorries bound from Dover to Calais, where it is thought they were hoping to settle. Azize Benaniba, a 41-year-old Algerian national and ringleader of the operation, was responsible for loading hundreds of migrants into the lorries and charging them £1,200 each for the trip. Some of the lorries were unrefrigerated and airtight, putting those inside in severe danger of overheating and suffocation. His co-conspirators, Mohamed Bechkit, 36, Mahmoud Haidous, 53, Abed Karouz, 40, Amor Ghabbari, 32, and Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50, organised the runs and hired a network of willing drivers. Mohamed Bouriche, 43, was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous locations near the UK border where they would be moved into the lorries. The group's activities began to unravel on Feb 21 2023, after 58 migrants were discovered by French border police hidden inside a lorry at Calais, having arrived from the UK and an investigation was launched by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Surveillance teams successfully intercepted several lorries travelling to the UK border and rescued those inside. Footage retrieved from a phone belonging to Bechkit showed a group of terrified migrants screaming and crying for help inside and banging on the sides of the trailer. One attempt on Sep 6 2023 saw 39 migrants, including women and children, loaded into an airtight refrigerated lorry trailer at a lay-by in Sandwich, Kent. NCA officers quickly intervened to rescue the migrants, but a few of them, including a child, required medical attention. The ringleaders were all arrested six months later in co-ordinated dawn raids in North London on March 20 2024. The NCA described the case as an anomaly and that it was a departure from the usual model of smuggling migrants from Calais into the UK, either via small boats or in lorries. The North African migrants, who spoke French, wanted to settle in France as it would be more familiar than the UK, The Telegraph understands. Benaniba was jailed for 12 years and 11 months at Isleworth Crown Court on July 17. Bechkit was jailed for 10 years and four months, Haidous received 13-and-a-half years, Karouz eight years and 10 months, Ghabbari nine years, Abdelhadi seven years and three months, and Bouriche seven-and-a-half years. John Turner, the NCA's senior investigating officer, said: 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers – their only concern was making money. 'We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to jail terms for 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network. 'These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities, and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling too. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.' Janine Baugh, a specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This was a highly organised group which tried to smuggle migrants to France more than 20 times. 'They put the lives of people at risk – often in inhumane conditions – just to profit off others. We presented the court with a video of people screaming to be let out of a trailer, which demonstrates these poor conditions. 'The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work with our partners at home and overseas and play a vital role in the Border Security Command in order to bring those involved in organised immigration crime to justice.'
Daily Mail
17-07-2025
- Daily Mail
People smuggling gang who loaded terrified migrants as young as five inside locked trailers and shipped them from UK to France are jailed for 70 years
Seven people smugglers who packed migrants as young as five into locked trailers before shipping them off to France from the UK have been jailed for 70 years. Videos were found on the phone of Algerian Azize Benaniba, 41, the head of the gang, of terrified families screaming for help. The smugglers brought migrants of North African origin into the UK on tourist visas. They were then charged £1,200 each to be smuggled to France via Dover during 20 separate trips throughout 2023. Benaniba's gang loaded hundreds of migrants, including children as young as five, into lorry trailers, some of which were refrigerated. Mahmoud Haidous, 52, Abed Karouz, 30, Amor Ghabbari, 32, and Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50, hired a network of willing drivers to make the runs. Mohamed Bouriche, 43, was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous locations where they would be moved into the lorries. Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh said: 'This was an extremely serious conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to a member state. Videos show men and women banging the sides of the darkened trailer and begging the driver to 'open the door' so they can get out 'Mr Benaniba is shown to be at the heart of it, but he was not a conventional boss giving orders to sub-ordinates. 'It involved a shifting and rotating leadership group. This was a long-lived conspiracy over eight months, encompassing 20 events. 'A large number of migrants were transported. The NCA stopped 7 HGVs, and located 157 migrants, but there were undoubtedly many more. 'In short, there could have been a disaster. The organisation, the conspiracy, you all, had no scruple about children going on this or other trips. Judge Curtis-Raleigh referred to the footage of the screaming migrants, including children, asking to let out of the lorry. 'Once translated, the migrants are saying they are being sent to their deaths.' He added: 'This conspiracy was for purely financial gain. The conspiracy must have been a highly profitable one. 'The Crown suggests it could have easily been over half a million pounds. I am satisfised that hundreds of thousands of pounds were generated. Benaniba pleaded guilty before the trial started. The network's facilitator Mohamed Bouriche, 43, was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous locations 'You were paid massive sums of money by migrants who were in a highly vulnerable position, and who were then pilled often in high numbers in a lorry space not designed for passengers. 'The money went somewhere, and NCA investigations into money laundering are ongoing. 'This conspiracy raises legitimate concerns of governments and the public in the UK and neighbouring countries. 'It was a serious wide ranging, sophisticated, and exploitative conspiracy, motivated by greed.' The judge told Benaniba: 'You suggested you were drawn into this. I don't accept that. You were the central figure. 'You were seen with migrants. You were seen with money. Judge Curtis-Raleigh jailed Benaniba for a total of 12 years and 11 months. Another ringleader, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was jailed for 10 years and four months; Haidous received 13-and-a-half years; Karrouz was jailed for nine years and eight months; Ghabbari was locked up for nine years; Abdelhadi was sentenced to seven years and three months; Bouriche was jailed for seven-and-a-half years. A total of 58 migrants were discovered by French border police hidden inside a lorry at Calais having arrived from the UK on 21 February 2023, sparking an investigation by the NCA. Prosecutor Rebecca Austin said the gang claimed they 'were simply doing the government's job for them by transporting migrants out of Britain into France'. 'The defendants claimed their actions were somehow removing migrants from Britain. 'But these defendants' action were far from removing migrants. 'They created an industry where people would come to Britain in order to illegally cross the channel. 'But some of the migrants found were simply released, as they were not necessarily here illegally.' Ms Austin added: 'The gang claimed this was a victimless event, and that they caused harm to nobody. 'But a video showed men, women and children screaming in the dark for the doors of the lorry they were trapped in to be open. 'That is an indication that shows this is not a victimless event. 'Most of the HGV lorries used by the gang were airtight. The doors could only have been opened and secured from the outside. 'In one HGV van, which had a 40 foot long trailer, 39 individuals were found. These were adults, children and females. 'They were relieved that the doors opened when stopped by police. It allowed the heat to dissipate. It was at least 28 degrees that day when they were found. 'Individuals were removed and were given water to hydrate. One male was taken to hospital as he was diabetic and did not have any medication. 'Had that lorry not been intercepted, their lives would have been at risk'. Ms Austin continued: 'The migrants were picked up in a ZIP van at Heathrow Airport. They were driven to an industrial estate in Wembley, where the migrants were loaded into a HGV van. 'Mr Karouz was at that industrial estate watching that happen'. 'The drivers of these HGV vans worked for legitimate businesses, but they chose to align themselves to this criminal conspiracy.' A series of subsequent attempted transportations were thwarted by NCA surveillance teams. On each occasion officers intercepted the lorries as the travelled to the UK border, rescuing the migrants hidden inside and arresting the complicit drivers. One attempt on September 6, 2023 saw 39 migrants, including women and children, loaded into an airtight refrigerated lorry trailer at a layby in Sandwich, Kent. NCA officers quickly intervened to rescue the migrants, but a few of them, including a child, required medical attention. By the start of 2024, the NCA had identified key members at all levels of the organised crime group. The ringleaders were all arrested during a coordinated strike at properties in North London on March 20, 2024. Videos of migrants travelling in lorry trailers were found on one of the organisers' phones, including one where a migrant can be heard banging on the sides of the trailer, screaming and crying for help. Five drivers involved in the smuggling ring were jailed last year. Earlier John Turner, senior investigating officer for the National Crime Agency, said: 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers - their only concern was making money. 'We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to the convictions of 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network. 'These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities, and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling too. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.' Benaniba, Karouz, Abdelhadi, and a defendant who cannot be named, admitted conspiracy to smuggle migrants from the UK to France. Haidous, Ghabbari, and Bouriche, denied but were convicted of conspiracy to smuggle migrants from the UK to France after a six week trial. John Turner, NCA senior investigating officer, said: 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers - their only concern was making money. 'We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to jail terms for 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network. 'These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities, and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling too. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.' Janine Baugh, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'This was a highly organised group which tried to smuggle migrants to France more than 20 times. 'They put the lives of people at risk - often in inhumane conditions - just to profit off others. We presented the court with a video of people screaming to be let out of a trailer, which demonstrates these poor conditions. 'The Crown Prosecution Service will continue to work with our partners at home and overseas and play a vital role in the Border Security Command in order to bring those involved in organised immigration crime to justice.'
The National
18-06-2025
- The National
Algerian ringleaders of smuggling gang convicted over cramming migrants into lorries to France
An Algerian-led crime gang which packed migrants into lorries to smuggle them from the UK to France has been dismantled and its senior members convicted. Video taken by a migrant from inside a lorry shows it filled with 39 Algerian and Moroccans, including a six-year-old boy. Those inside can be heard banging on the sides of the trailer, screaming and crying for assistance, with of shouting "open the door, open the door". The footage was found on the phone of one of the ringleaders by officers from the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The people smugglers ' tactic involved bringing migrants of North African origin into the UK on tourist visas before placing them in lorries to be smuggled from the port of Dover, on England's south coast, to France. Each migrant was charged up to £1,200 ($1,600) for the trip. In total, 12 members of the gang have now been convicted, the latest of them at Isleworth Crown Court. It comes as the UK is looking to crackdown on the record number of migrants coming the other way from France to the UK across the English Channel. The Algerian head of the gang, Azize Benaniba, 41, admitted his part in the operation, while others were convicted following a trial at London's Isleworth Crown Court. These include Mohamed Bouriche, 43, also Algerian and the gang's facilitator, who was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous locations where they would be moved into the lorries. John Turner, NCA senior investigating officer, said: 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or well-being of the people they crammed into lorry trailers – their only concern was making money. 'These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling, too. 'We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea.' Also convicted were Benaniba's lieutenants Mahmoud Haidous, 52, Abed Karouz, 30, Amor Ghabbari, 32, and Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50. They hired a network of drivers willing to make the runs. Another defendant, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was also convicted, along with four lorry drivers. They include Russian Nikolai Kuznetsov, 39, who was jailed for four years after pleading guilty. The NCA launched its investigation in February 2023, after 58 migrants were discovered by French border police hidden inside a lorry at Calais having arrived from the UK. A series of subsequent attempts were thwarted by NCA surveillance teams. On each occasion officers intercepted the lorries as they travelled to the UK border, rescuing the migrants hidden inside and arresting the complicit drivers. Another attempt in September 2023 saw the 39 migrants loaded into an airtight refrigerated lorry trailer at a layby in Sandwich, Kent. NCA officers quickly intervened to rescue the migrants, but a few of them, including the child, required medical attention. By the start of 2024, the NCA had identified key members at all levels of the organised crime group. The ringleaders were all arrested during a co-ordinated strike at properties in North London on 20 March 2024. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to the convictions of 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network,' said Mr Turner. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.' Home Office figures show 16,545 people have crossed the channel in small boats so far this year, a 45 per cent increase on the same period in 2024 and higher than at the same point in 2022, the record year for number of crossings. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has now signalled that countries not doing enough to tackle the irregular migration crisis, for example by taking back failed asylum seekers, could face repercussions in the number of visas issued to their citizens. French police have also employed more robust tactics, including the use of tear gas, to prevent migrants boarding the boats, after the British government urged them to step up action. Tourist visas to bring migrants into the EU via third countries were used in the case of two people smugglers who used a car wash in the UK as cover for their operation. Dilshad Shamo, 41, a Kurdish Iraqi, and Ali Khdir, 40, who is Kurdish-Iranian, arranged for migrants from Iraq, Iran and Syria to obtain legal documents to enter countries such as Belarus and Moldova so they could then be trafficked on to Romania, Germany or Austria. Some of the migrants even recorded their journeys and gave 'TripAdvisor-style' ratings as feedback to the now convicted pair. Sentencing will take place at a later date.
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Telegraph
Watch: Migrants smuggled from UK to France in refrigerated lorry
A crime gang used Britain as a backdoor route into the EU by smuggling hundreds of migrants across the Channel in refrigerated lorries. The 12-strong people-smuggling ring brought migrants from North Africa into the UK on tourist visas before charging them up to £1,200 each to be smuggled into lorries to take them from Dover to France. Videos found on the phone of one of the ringleaders, filmed by one of those they were trying to smuggle, showed terrified migrants screaming for help in the back of a locked trailer. The ring was smashed after the National Crime Agency (NCA) launched an investigation in Feb 2023, when French border police discovered 58 migrants hidden inside a lorry at Calais after arriving from the UK. The 12 members of the gang have now been convicted, with three found guilty on Monday, after a six-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court. Azize Benaniba, a 41-year-old Algerian national who was the head of the gang, pleaded guilty before the trial started. NCA investigators identified more than 20 separate smuggling runs made between Feb and Oct 2023. Benaniba's crime group loaded hundreds of migrants, including children as young as five, into refrigerated and unrefrigerated lorry trailers. His lieutenants, Mahmoud Haidous, 52, Abed Karouz, 30, Amor Ghabbari, 32, and Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50, hired a network of drivers to make the runs. The network's facilitator, 43-year-old Mohamed Bouriche, was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous points where they would be moved into the lorries. Once the ring was discovered in 2023, a series of attempts was thwarted by NCA surveillance teams. On each occasion, officers intercepted the lorries as they travelled to the UK border, rescuing the migrants hidden inside and arresting the complicit drivers. One attempt, on Sept 6 2023, saw 39 migrants including women and children loaded into an airtight refrigerated lorry trailer at a lay-by in Sandwich, Kent. NCA officers quickly intervened to rescue the migrants, but some, including a child, required medical attention. By the start of last year, the NCA had identified key members at all levels of the organised crime group. The ringleaders were all arrested during a coordinated strike at properties in north London on March 20 last year. 'Tackling immigration crime a top priority' A number of videos of migrants travelling in lorry trailers were found on one of the organisers' phones including one where they can be heard banging on the sides of the trailer, screaming and crying for assistance. John Turner, the NCA senior investigating officer, said: 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or well-being of the people they crammed into lorry trailers – their only concern was making money. We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to the convictions of 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network. These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities, and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling too. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.'
Daily Mail
17-06-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Moment terrified migrants are smuggled OUT of Britain in back of lorry to avoid French visa crackdown as gang led by Algerian ringleader are found guilty over plot
Disturbing footage shows migrants screaming and crying while locked inside a people smugglers' lorry heading from the UK to France. The group, which included children, were being taken towards Dover in a bid to enter French soil undetected - in a reversal of the usual trend of migrants being smuggled into Britain. Videos show men and women banging the sides of the darkened trailer and begging the driver to 'open the door' so they can get out. As the migrants become increasingly distressed, one is heard saying they have been 'sent to [their] deaths'. The footage was found on a phone belonging to a ringleader of a people smuggling ring convicted today following a major investigation by the National Crime Agency. The operation, led by 41-year-old Algerian Azize Benaniba, involved north Africans who had come to the UK on commercial flights using legal tourist visas. After making contact with Benaniba's gang via social media or contacts in the British diaspora, the migrants - who paid £1,200 each - would be hidden in lorries heading to France. The conspiracy was an attempt to dodge the French government's new rules restricting the number of visas issued to people from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, which are all former colonies. In total, 12 members of the crime group have now been convicted, three of whom were found guilty yesterday, following a six-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court. Benaniba, who pleaded guilty before the trial started, organised for hundreds of migrants, including children as young as five, to be loaded into refrigerated and unrefrigerated lorry trailers. His lieutenants, Mahmoud Haidous, 52, Abed Karouz, 30, Amor Ghabbari, 32, and Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50, hired a network of willing drivers to make the runs. And the network's facilitator Mohamed Bouriche, 43, was responsible for transporting people to rendezvous locations where they would be moved into the lorries. NCA investigators identified more than 20 separate smuggling runs made between February and October 2023. Officers began their investigation on February 21, 2023, after 58 migrants were found by French border police hidden inside a lorry at Calais having arrived from the UK. A series of subsequent attempts were thwarted by police surveillance teams. On each occasion, officers intercepted the lorries as they travelled to the UK border, rescuing the migrants hidden inside and arresting the drivers involved. One attempt on September 6, 2023 saw 39 migrants, including women and children, loaded into an airtight refrigerated lorry trailer at a layby in Sandwich, Kent. One of them - including a child - required medical attention. By the start of 2024, the NCA had identified all the gang's key members, and the ringleaders were arrested in a series of coordinated raids on properties in North London on March 20. The case is evidence that criminal gangs are using the UK as a back door to evade a clampdown by President Macron on the number of visas handed to people from north Africa following pressure from right-wing critics. It will renew claims the Home Office is failing to control Britain's borders, while also embarrassing French officials accused of not doing enough to stop migrants being trafficked into the UK on small boats and lorries. Around 14,812 migrants have crossed the Channel by small boat so far this year. In September 2021, Mr Macron's government said it was reducing the number of visas given to Moroccans and Algerians by half, and a third for Tunisians. The decision was partly a response to the countries refusing to accept their own nationals who had been deported from France. As the former colonial power, France is a popular destination for migrants for all three nations. Many have family or friends there and already speak the language. In light of evidence UK tourist visas are being used as a backdoor into France, figures showing a rise in applications from Algerian and Moroccan nationals will raise eyebrows. Applications from Algeria have more than doubled between 2019 and 2013, from 20,693 to 47,849 - although many applications would have been turned down. Visa applications from Morocco increased from 23,871 to 34,272. John Turner, NCA senior investigating officer, said Benaniba's gang were motivated solely by financial gain. 'These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers – their only concern was making money. 'We've seen the fatal consequences of this crime type, as migrants have sadly lost their lives being smuggled across borders on land and at sea. 'Our thorough investigation has safeguarded hundreds of migrants who were put in serious danger, and has now led to the convictions of 12 members of a prolific people smuggling network. 'These criminal networks treat human beings like commodities, and we know the gangs and drivers involved in outbound smuggling are often involved in inbound smuggling too. 'Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA, and alongside our international law enforcement partners, we are relentless in our efforts to dismantle these networks wherever they operate.' The smuggling operation is far from the first example of migrants attempting to leave Britain by covert means. Last month, an Afghan migrant told how he had repeatedly tried to leave on a lorry after being left feeling 'depressed and isolated' by life in the UK. Zahir, who had previously arrived in Britain on a small boat, has made four attempts to sneak into HGVs leaving the Port of Dover in a bid to relocate to Germany, but has failed each time and now sleeps in a London park. The 29-year-old said he fled Afghanistan when the Taliban found out his family had helped supply food to British and American forces. He was granted asylum in France and had a job in a slaughterhouse before paying smugglers €1,500 (£1,260) to take him over the Channel to the UK in August 2024. But he said he regretted this decision and says the idealised picture he was given of life in Britain has not turned out to be the reality. Zahir, who did not provide his surname, now wants to get out of the country as soon as possible by stowing away in a lorry to the Continent. 'It was a big mistake. I came here because of my mum – she was always saying ''we helped them so they will help you''.'
