Latest news with #Ebid
Epoch Times
21-05-2025
- Epoch Times
People Smuggling Ringleader Jailed for 25 Years After Mediterranean Crossings
The first person in Britain to be convicted of smuggling people across the Mediterranean has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Ahmed Ebid, 42, originally from Egypt and living in Isleworth, London was found to be a key organiser in a criminal network that moved around 4,000 people from Libya to Italy between 2022 and 2023. He was arrested in Hounslow in June last year after a joint investigation by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and Italian authorities. Judge Adam Hiddleston told Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday that Ebid was involved in a conspiracy that 'generated millions of pounds' and that he must have benefited from 'a significant amount' of the proceeds. He described the sums involved as 'truly staggering' and said the money came from the 'hard-earned savings of desperate individuals' who were 'ruthlessly and cynically exploited' by Ebid and the wider criminal group. Dangerous Crossings, Deadly Outcomes The NCA linked Ebid to at least seven separate crossings over a two-year period, with individual boats carrying hundreds of migrants at a time. In one case, in October 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by Italian authorities from a wooden boat launched from Libya. Related Stories 1/31/2025 4/22/2025 Two bodies were recovered from that vessel. Another boat intercepted in December 2022 had departed from Benghazi carrying 265 migrants, while in April 2023, two further vessels carrying over 600 people each were found adrift in the Mediterranean. The scale and frequency of these journeys were underpinned by a ruthless business model. Migrants were typically charged around £3,200 each for the dangerous passage, a trade estimated to have generated more than £12 million for the criminals involved. 'Ebid was part of a crime network who preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats,' said the NCA regional head of investigation, Jacque Beer. Surveillance, Seized Phones, a Threatening Warning Ebid's role came under scrutiny through extensive surveillance and digital evidence. The NCA recovered messages, videos, and financial records from a phone seized during his arrest, including conversations about purchasing vessels and footage of migrant crossings. In a call intercepted by officers, Ebid instructed an associate to threaten passengers against carrying mobile phones, a measure aimed at evading detection by authorities. 'Tell them guys anyone caught with a phone will be killed, threw in the sea,' he was heard saying. The judge described Ebid's treatment of the migrants as 'horrifying,' telling the court that he had referred to them as 'cartons.' 'The important thing to you was that each paid up the exorbitant fare that was charged for their crossing and that nobody did anything to compromise your operation such as by carrying a mobile phone. As we know, if they did, you were prepared to instruct others to threaten them with death. 'You demonstrated no empathy or care whatsoever for these desperate and vulnerable men, women and children,' Hiddleston said. Government Reacts The conviction was welcomed by minister for border security and asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, who linked the case to the government's broader efforts to strengthen UK border defences. 'For too long our borders have been undermined by vile people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk for cash,' she said. Eagle also stressed the government's commitment to stop people smuggling gangs and restore control over UK's borders. The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, Under the bill, people selling and handling boat parts suspected of being used in migrant Channel crossings could face up to 14 years in prison. Last year, the government launched A sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities involved in people smuggling includes asset freezes and travel bans, aiming to disrupt the financial networks supporting smuggling operations. Despite these initiatives, illegal Channel crossings have reached record levels this year, with over PA Media contributed to this report.
Euronews
20-05-2025
- Euronews
UK jails smuggler for 25 years over arranging migrant boats to Europe
An Egyptian man based in the UK who smuggled thousands of migrants from north Africa to Italy as part of a £12 million (€14mn) operation has been jailed for 25 years. Ahmed Ebid, a former fisherman, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court in London on Tuesday, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. He is thought to be the first person in the UK convicted of organising illegal boat crossings in the Mediterranean Sea. The 42-year-old, who described himself on social media as "Captain Ahmed," was involved in smuggling nearly 3,800 people — including women and children — on seven separate fishing boat crossings from Libya to Italy between October 2022 and June 2023, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA). Each migrant was charged an average of around £3,200 (€3,800) for the journey, netting the criminal network involved more than £12 million (€14mn) in total, the NCA said. Judge Adam Hiddleston said Ebid and his associates had "ruthlessly and cynically exploited" migrants who attempted to make the journey to Europe. "The treatment of the migrants on your orders and in your name was horrifying. They were, simply a commodity to you," Judge Hiddleston said. In one crossing, on 25 October 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a wooden boat, the NCA said. The boat was taken into port in Sicily and two bodies were recovered. On a number of occasions, Ebid was maintaining communication with criminal associates during the crossings, the NCA said. Ebid told an associate that migrants were not allowed to carry phones with them on the boats as he sought to avoid law enforcement, according to a conversation recorded by NCA surveillance officers. "Tell them guys anyone caught with a phone will be killed, thrown in the sea," Ebid said. Jacque Beer, regional head of investigation at the NCA, said the "cruel nature" of Ebid's business was "demonstrated by the callous way he spoke of throwing migrants into the sea if they didn't follow his rules". "To him they were just a source of profit," Beer added. Ebid arrived in the UK in October 2022 as an asylum seeker after crossing the English Channel in a small boat. He had previously spent five years in jail in Italy for drug offences, according to reports in UK media. The smuggler was arrested in Hounslow, west London, in June 2023 after the NCA and its Italian law enforcement partners were able to link him to several illegal boat crossings. On a phone seized from Ebid after his arrest, the NCA's investigators found images of boats, conversations about the possible purchase of vessels, videos of migrants making the journey, and screenshots detailing money transfers. Ebid pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiring to assist illegal immigration in October 2023, but had claimed he was only a low-ranking member of the criminal network. This claim was disputed by British prosecutors, and Judge Hiddleston ultimately described Ebid as having held a "significant managerial role within an organised crime group". Israel will facilitate the entry of "dozens of aid trucks" from UN agencies in the Gaza Strip on a daily basis in the coming days, a spokesperson from the Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry told Euronews on Tuesday. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Sunday that Israel will allow the entrance of UN aid trucks after 11 weeks of blockade. On Monday, nine trucks were cleared to enter the Strip. At the time of writing, the spokesperson told Euronews that a "dozen trucks" were already set to enter on Tuesday. "The items to be supplied immediately include: Flour to the main bakeries operated by international organisations, supplies to the central kitchens operated by international organisations, baby food (and) medical supplies," the spokesperson said. As Euronews previously reported, Gaza remained on the brink of famine after major aid organisations ran out of food stocks in recent weeks, according to UN agencies working in the territory. Earlier in May, the International Court of Justice held a week of hearings on Israel's obligation to "ensure and facilitate" humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in the Strip. During the latest ceasefire that Israel ended in March, some 600 aid trucks entered Gaza each day. Israel cut off the entry of aid to Gaza on 2 March and renewed its military campaign on 18 March in a bid to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages the militant group took in its 7 October 2023 attack. It also banned cooperation with UNRWA's activities in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, claiming it has been infiltrated by Hamas, which the UN humanitarian aid agency strongly denies. The Israeli government has repeatedly accused Hamas of controlling the aid flow and profiting from it, while allowing the Palestinians in the Strip to starve. In late April, Defence Minister Israel Katz said the militant group should be stripped of all access to humanitarian aid meant for Gaza, which he claimed Israel was allocating despite the blockade. The blockade of aid entering Gaza was criticised by the international community, including by some EU member states, Canada, the UK and the EU itself. In a joint statement on Tuesday, France, the UK and Canada said the situation in Gaza was "intolerable" and criticised the initial proposal by the Israeli government to allow a basic quantity of food as "inadequate".
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Hamilton Spectator
A London court sentences an Egyptian man to 25 years for smuggling people from Africa to Italy
LONDON (AP) — A London court on Tuesday sentenced an Egyptian man to 25 years in prison for smuggling people from North Africa to Italy. Ahmed Ebid, who arrived in the U.K. in October 2022 after crossing the English Channel in a small boat, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Judge Adam Hiddleston said Ebid played a key role in an organized crime group and that his 'primary motivation was to make money' from human trafficking. Since his arrival in Britain and until June 2023, Ebid, 42, was implicated in at least seven separate boat crossings as part of a 12 million-pound ($16 million) operation that carried 3,781 people, including children, into Italian waters from North Africa. Britain's National Crime Agency cited some of those who had entered the U.K. illegally as saying that Ebid even told an associate to kill and throw into the sea anyone onboard caught with a mobile phone. Ebid 'preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats,' said Jacque Beer of the agency. In one crossing, on Oct. 25, 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a wooden boat, the agency said. The boat was taken into port in Sicily and two bodies were recovered. 'Vulnerable people were transported on long sea journeys in ill-equipped fishing vessels completely unsuitable for carrying the large number of passengers,' said Tim Burton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service. 'His repeated involvement in helping to facilitate these dangerous crossings showed a complete disregard for the safety of thousands of people, whose lives were put at serious risk,' Burton added about Ebid. ____ Follow AP's Africa coverage at:
20-05-2025
UK court sentences Egyptian man to 25 years for smuggling people from Africa to Italy
LONDON -- A London court on Tuesday sentenced an Egyptian man to 25 years in prison for smuggling people from North Africa to Italy. Ahmed Ebid, who arrived in the U.K. in October 2022 after crossing the English Channel in a small boat, pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Judge Adam Hiddleston said Ebid played a key role in an organized crime group and that his 'primary motivation was to make money" from human trafficking. Since his arrival in Britain and until June 2023, Ebid, 42, was implicated in at least seven separate boat crossings as part of a 12 million-pound ($16 million) operation that carried 3,781 people, including children, into Italian waters from North Africa. Britain's National Crime Agency cited some of those who had entered the U.K. illegally as saying that Ebid even told an associate to kill and throw into the sea anyone onboard caught with a mobile phone. Ebid "preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats," said Jacque Beer of the agency. In one crossing, on Oct. 25, 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross the Mediterranean Sea in a wooden boat, the agency said. The boat was taken into port in Sicily and two bodies were recovered. 'Vulnerable people were transported on long sea journeys in ill-equipped fishing vessels completely unsuitable for carrying the large number of passengers," said Tim Burton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service. 'His repeated involvement in helping to facilitate these dangerous crossings showed a complete disregard for the safety of thousands of people, whose lives were put at serious risk,' Burton added about Ebid.
South Wales Argus
20-05-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
People smuggler who ‘managed' £12m boat crossings jailed for 25 years
Egyptian-born Ahmed Ebid, 42, helped organise the movement of nearly 3,800 migrants – including women and children – on just seven fishing boat crossings from North Africa to Italy between October 2022 and June 2023 and some of them made their way to Britain, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said. Ebid even told an associate to kill and throw into the sea any migrants caught with phones, in a bid to avoid law enforcement, the NCA said – all while he was living in Isleworth, south-west London. He was living on benefits in a taxpayer-funded home, having arrived in the country as an asylum seeker in 2022, according to reports, despite a previous drug-smuggling conviction in Italy. Screengrab taken from body-worn footage of the arrest of Egyptian national Ahmed Ramadan Mohamad Ebid (National Crime Agency/PA) The defendant, who is believed to be the first person convicted of organising boat crossings across the Mediterranean from the UK, was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday to 25 years, having pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Reacting to the sentence, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said on X: 'Good. I am determined to smash the small boat gangs behind the vile trade in people smuggling.' Judge Adam Hiddleston said Ebid had a 'significant managerial role within an organised crime group' and that his 'primary motivation was to make money out of human trafficking'. The judge told Ebid the 'conspiracy that you were a part of generated millions of pounds' and that he must have been a 'beneficiary' of 'a significant amount'. He added that the 'truly staggering' amount of money came from the 'hard-earned savings of desperate individuals', who were 'ruthlessly and cynically exploited' by Ebid and the crime group. The judge said 'exploitation on such an enormous scale' causes 'so much misery' and 'could so easily lead to a considerable loss of life'. The judge also said: 'The treatment of the migrants on your orders and in your name was horrifying. They were simply a commodity to you. 'You talked of them in terms of units, not as people, referring to them as 'cartons'. 'The important thing to you was that each paid up the exorbitant fare that was charged for their crossing and that nobody did anything to compromise your operation – such as by carrying a mobile phone. 'As we know, if they did, you were prepared to instruct others to threaten them with death. You demonstrated no empathy or care whatsoever for these desperate and vulnerable men, women and children. ' He added: 'There has to be, it seems to me, a crystal-clear message delivered to those engaged in this trade, that the protection of international borders is also something that, when the court has such a responsibility, is taken very seriously indeed and reflected in a lengthy sentence being passed.' A boat used by Egyptian national Ahmed Ramadan Mohamad Ebid for an illegal crossing on November 6 2022 (NCA/PA) The defendant was heard ranting in the dock after the sentencing, while a woman in the public gallery wept. Ebid arrived in the UK in October 2022 after crossing the Channel in a small boat, having been sentenced in Italy in 2017 to a total of six years and two months in prison for drug-smuggling. Soon afterwards, he began arranging the operations in the Mediterranean. He was working with people-smuggling networks to organise boats, bringing over hundreds of migrants at a time on extremely dangerous vessels from Libya and advertising the crossings on Facebook. Ebid sourced and provided boats and crews, provided technical advice during the crossings, helped house migrants, and dealt with any required paperwork, prosecutors said. In one conversation with an associate, recorded via a listening device planted by NCA officers, he said migrants were not to carry phones with them on his boats. He said: 'Tell them guys anyone caught with a phone will be killed, threw in the sea.' One crossing on October 25 2022 saw more than 640 migrants rescued by the Italian authorities after they attempted to cross in a wooden boat, the NCA said. It was taken into port in Sicily and two bodies were recovered. In another, 265 migrants were rescued by the Italian coastguard from a 20m (66ft) fishing boat found adrift in the Mediterranean in early December 2022 after it left Benghazi. Two search and rescue operations occurred in April 2023 after distress calls to the coastguard and in each case more than 600 migrants were on board the boats, the NCA said. Ebid helped with at least seven separate crossings which carried 3,781 people into Italian waters. Each migrant had been charged an average of around £3,200, netting those involved £12.3 million, the NCA said. Ebid was detained in Isleworth in June 2023 after the NCA, along with the Italian Guardia di Finanza and the Italian coastguard, linked him to the crossings. On a phone seized from him, investigators found pictures of boats, conversations about the possible purchase of vessels, videos of migrants making the journey, and screenshots of money transfers. Tim Burton, specialist prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: 'Ahmed Ebid played a leading role in a sophisticated operation, which breached immigration laws and endangered lives, for his own and others' financial gain. 'Vulnerable people were transported on long sea journeys in ill-equipped fishing vessels completely unsuitable for carrying the large number of passengers who were on board. 'His repeated involvement in helping to facilitate these dangerous crossings showed a complete disregard for the safety of thousands of people, whose lives were put at serious risk.' Jacque Beer, of the NCA, said: 'Ebid was part of a crime network who preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death-trap boats. 'The cruel nature of his business was demonstrated by the callous way he spoke of throwing migrants into the sea if they didn't follow his rules. 'To him they were just a source of profit. 'He was based in the UK but organising crossings from North Africa. 'A proportion of those he moved to Italy would also have ended up in northern Europe, attempting to cross the Channel to the UK.' Home Office minister Dame Angela Eagle said: 'For too long our borders have been undermined by vile people-smuggling gangs putting lives at risk for cash. 'Ebid and his associates preyed on vulnerable individuals, with hundreds being crammed on to dangerous boats and charged an extortionate fee for their transport.'
