Two men have admitted running a people smuggling ring that saw thousands of migrants from Iraq, Iran and Syria brought into Europe by plane, boat as well as foot.
Some of the migrants recorded their journeys and gave 'TripAdvisor-style' ratings as feedback to the now convicted organisers.
Dilshad Shamo, 41, an Iraqi Kurd and Ali Khdir, 40, who is also Kurdish from Iran, used a car wash in a small town in the UK as cover for their operation.
The pair had been on trial for organising illegal migration after their operation was uncovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), but on Friday they pleaded guilty.
The NCA says those migrants paying thousands of euros per head were offered three tiers of service with the simplest being on foot or via HGV or smaller vehicle, the next by cargo ships or yachts, and the top tier by providing plane travel.
Money was lodged with Hawala network bankers based in Iraq and Istanbul who would arrange and obtain funds from migrants travelling on particular routes.
Shamo and Khdir used WhatsApp to communicate with people smugglers across Europe. Once a deposit was obtained, they would receive an 'OK' for migrants to be moved by a specified route or time frame.
They also used messaging and social media apps to provide videos from people who had already taken the journey so they could advertise their routes, which took many into the United Kingdom, including my small boat across the English Channel.
In one video, a family travelling by plane details the route and states “we are very happy... this is the visa, may god bless him, we are really happy”.
In another, a man travelling by HGV tells the camera: “Lorry route agreement, crossing agreement with the knowledge of driver. Here we have men, women and children. Thank god the route was easy and good.”
Derek Evans, from NCA, described the operation as resembling a "travel agent" adding that "it's like TripAdvisor, they were rating their service within that community".
The NCA branch commander said the pair were “leading a double life and "while on the surface they seemed to be operating a successful car wash, they were actually part of a prolific people smuggling group moving migrants across Europe and taking thousands in payment".
"Our evidence showed migrants moving under Khdir and Shamo made it to EU countries and we assess their journeys have and would have continued into the UK.”
But the pair were under surveillance from the National Crime Agency, Britain’s the equivalent of the FBI, who had had uncovered their roles in a huge people smuggling ring, which they ran from the Fast Track Car Wash in Caerphilly, south Wales.
Shamo and Khdir were first arrested in April 2023 and before being taken to custody, Khdir was heard telling Shamo “just tell them that we are buying and selling cars, just say we do transfer money from our home country”. Both answered no comment at interview.
They were charged in February 2024 with offences of facilitation of migrants through Europe and went on trial at Cardiff Crown Court. They will now be sentenced on Monday.
Prosecutors told the court that the pair used different routes to smuggle people into Europe known as "the Turkey route", "the visa route", "the lorry route" or "the Bosnian route".
"Turkey route" involved migrants from Iran, Iraq or Syria legally crossing into Turkey before illegally travelling onwards by ship into Italy.
The "visa" method would see migrants obtain legal documents to enter countries such as Belarus and Moldova to then be trafficked on into Romania, Germany or Austria.
The "lorry route" would see migrants into lorries and move them on by sea or by road to Italy and Germany or "onwards to other countries such as France." The "Bosnian route" involved cars or taxis used to transport various individuals into Croatia or Slovenia and on to Italy.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, added: “Criminals like Khdir and Shamo put countless lives at risk smuggling vulnerable people through Europe in a shameless attempt to make cash.”
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How England have scored their set-piece goals in Russia
Three Penalties
v Panama, Group Stage (Harry Kane)
v Panama, Group Stage (Kane)
v Colombia, Last 16 (Kane)
Four Corners
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via John Stones header, from Ashley Young corner)
v Tunisia, Group Stage (Kane, via Harry Maguire header, from Kieran Trippier corner)
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, header, from Trippier corner)
v Sweden, Quarter-Final (Maguire, header, from Young corner)
One Free-Kick
v Panama, Group Stage (Stones, via Jordan Henderson, Kane header, and Raheem Sterling, from Tripper free-kick)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
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What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
How Tesla’s price correction has hit fund managers
Investing in disruptive technology can be a bumpy ride, as investors in Tesla were reminded on Friday, when its stock dropped 7.5 per cent in early trading to $575.
It recovered slightly but still ended the week 15 per cent lower and is down a third from its all-time high of $883 on January 26. The electric car maker’s market cap fell from $834 billion to about $567bn in that time, a drop of an astonishing $267bn, and a blow for those who bought Tesla stock late.
The collapse also hit fund managers that have gone big on Tesla, notably the UK-based Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust and Cathie Wood’s ARK Innovation ETF.
Tesla is the top holding in both funds, making up a hefty 10 per cent of total assets under management. Both funds have fallen by a quarter in the past month.
Matt Weller, global head of market research at GAIN Capital, recently warned that Tesla founder Elon Musk had “flown a bit too close to the sun”, after getting carried away by investing $1.5bn of the company’s money in Bitcoin.
He also predicted Tesla’s sales could struggle as traditional auto manufacturers ramp up electric car production, destroying its first mover advantage.
AJ Bell’s Russ Mould warns that many investors buy tech stocks when earnings forecasts are rising, almost regardless of valuation. “When it works, it really works. But when it goes wrong, elevated valuations leave little or no downside protection.”
A Tesla correction was probably baked in after last year’s astonishing share price surge, and many investors will see this as an opportunity to load up at a reduced price.
Dramatic swings are to be expected when investing in disruptive technology, as Ms Wood at ARK makes clear.
Every week, she sends subscribers a commentary listing “stocks in our strategies that have appreciated or dropped more than 15 per cent in a day” during the week.
Her latest commentary, issued on Friday, showed seven stocks displaying extreme volatility, led by ExOne, a leader in binder jetting 3D printing technology. It jumped 24 per cent, boosted by news that fellow 3D printing specialist Stratasys had beaten fourth-quarter revenues and earnings expectations, seen as good news for the sector.
By contrast, computational drug and material discovery company Schrödinger fell 27 per cent after quarterly and full-year results showed its core software sales and drug development pipeline slowing.
Despite that setback, Ms Wood remains positive, arguing that its “medicinal chemistry platform offers a powerful and unique view into chemical space”.
In her weekly video view, she remains bullish, stating that: “We are on the right side of change, and disruptive innovation is going to deliver exponential growth trajectories for many of our companies, in fact, most of them.”
Ms Wood remains committed to Tesla as she expects global electric car sales to compound at an average annual rate of 82 per cent for the next five years.
She said these are so “enormous that some people find them unbelievable”, and argues that this scepticism, especially among institutional investors, “festers” and creates a great opportunity for ARK.
Only you can decide whether you are a believer or a festering sceptic. If it’s the former, then buckle up.
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Poacher
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More on animal trafficking
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'Ghostbusters: From Beyond'
Director: Jason Reitman
Starring: Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, Mckenna Grace
Rating: 2/5
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
