When a yacht carrying illegal migrants ran aground in Rye in February 2022 the investigations which followed led to the conviction of a prolific people smuggler.
Ali Omar Karim was sentenced to eight years and seven months in prison on Wednesday 25 February. The judge at Maidstone Crown Court said he played a “leading role” in a smuggling operation which transported hundreds to the UK in small boats and HGVs.
Officers from the National Crime Agency (NCA) identified Karim to be behind the Rye incident on the river Rother. Fourteen individuals from Iran, Iraq and Albania, including two children, were detained by Border Force officers.
The 47 year old from Portsmouth was arrested in March 2024 and pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration in July 2024.
Examination of his phone showed he had been involved in the movement of people from Serbia, Turkey, Kosovo, Bosnia and other countries through border crossings in Romania and Hungary via HGV.
Evidence on Karim’s phone suggested those trafficked paid £800 to £1,000 to get into the EU, and were then charged a further, larger amount to get from France to the UK.
Messages also referred to multiple dinghies, indicating multiple crossings and the scale of the operation Karim was operating.
NCA Branch Commander Rachel Bramley said, “Karim was high up in the chain of command, making decisions on crossing days, routes and prices. This was a long-running NCA investigation working alongside partners in the UK and overseas. Tackling organised immigration crime is a top priority for the NCA and we are doing all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks behind it, wherever they operate.”
Image Credits: NCA .