People smugglers jailed for UK to France operation

A group of people smugglers who hid migrants in lorries have today been jailed.

The organised crime group – consisting of Azize Benaniba, 41, Mahmoud Haidous, 53, Mohamed Bechkit, 36, Abed Karrouz, 40, Amor Ghabbari, 32, Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50, and Mohamed Bouriche, 43, – would arrange to meet migrants, normally those who had flown to the UK from North Africa on tourist visas, in north London then transport them to Kent, where they boarded lorries travelling from Dover to Calais. They received jail terms ranging from seven years and three months to 13 years and six months.

The prosecution’s case demonstrated the orchestrated efforts of the group between 20 February, 2023, and 31 October, 2023. Prosecutors pieced the case together following an investigation by the National Crime Agency, from officers’ surveillance, CCTV footage, phone records and automatic number plate recognition.

On one occasion – on 6 September, 2023 – the migrants were put into a refrigerated lorry putting their lives at severe risk due to being put in an airtight trailer. As the lorry was under NCA surveillance it was intercepted, but long delays at Dover in the hot weather heightened the risk. One of the migrants was taken to hospital, and others were treated at the scene.

The investigation identified 157 migrants who were intercepted. They were paying around £1,200 per journey and it is estimated the group would have raised more than £500,000.

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.”

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.”

When Benaniba’s home in Kilburn, north London, was searched, officers found a number of fake French passports and identity cards. Benaniba, who was one of the leaders of the group, pleaded guilty on the fourth day of the trial in May 2025 to facilitating the illegal immigration and three counts of possession of an identity documentation with improper intention. His role was to organise the migrants, collect money, organise drivers, facilitate the rendezvous between migrants and drivers, organise the HGV drivers and the rendezvous between the transportation and provide fake IDs.

Further fake French driving licences, a Belgian identity card and Irish passport were found at Haidous’s home in Islington, north London. Haidous pleaded guilty to two offences of possession of an identity documentation with improper intention. Haidous and Bechkit’s roles involved the organisation of migrants, drivers and HGV drivers and their meeting points, collecting money and providing fake IDs.

Karouz, Adbelhadi and Ghabbari had similar roles, but didn’t provide fake IDs. Bouriche played a pivotal role organising vans and using his vehicle for moving migrants .

Karouz and Abdelhadi entered guilty please in January 2025. Bechkit pleaded guilty on day three of the trial in May. The others were convicted after trial at Isleworth Crown Court.

Previously five HGV drivers and two facilitators have been sentenced for their roles, receiving jail terms ranging from 22 months to six years and nine months.