A convicted Iraqi Kurdish people smuggler once labelled “the godfather” of the French migrant camps has been traced to Leicestershire, where he is believed to be seeking asylum while allegedly working illegally, according to a BBC investigation.
Twana Jamal, now 46, was sentenced to five years in prison by a French court in 2016 after being convicted of running a major cross-Channel people-smuggling network.
French prosecutors said he earned as much as £100,000 a week by transporting migrants to the UK through freight lorries.
Acting on a tip-off, BBC investigators tracked Jamal to Blaby, where they said they saw him working in a mini-mart, driving without a licence and apparently using a false identity.
When approached, Jamal claimed he had applied for asylum and was “still waiting”. Under UK law, asylum claims are normally refused for anyone who has served at least 12 months in prison overseas, although investigators said he may have used one of several aliases.
During a recorded phone conversation, Jamal claimed he was living comfortably in Leicester, saying, “We know everyone in this city, this city is ours.” He also boasted he was making “good money” and admitted driving without a licence, adding: “No-one touches us here. Even the police won’t stop you.”
Investigators later identified him working at one of two Candy Corner stores in Blaby. He introduced himself as “Sultan”, a name linked to his social media account, where he also uses “Sultan Pasha”.
Confronted outside the shop, Jamal denied involvement in people smuggling or serving a prison sentence in France.
After being shown a photo of himself in court, he replied, “I don’t care.” He also denied working at the store despite investigators saying they had seen him behind the counter and handling stock.
Asked why he was driving without a valid licence, Jamal responded, “So what? Did I hit you?”
The BBC said it had identified more than 20 suspected people smugglers currently living in the UK, including several with convictions in France, Germany and Belgium.
Immigration officials told the broadcaster that criminal record checks have become more difficult since Brexit because the UK no longer has the same level of access to EU databases.
Responding to the investigation, the Home Office said all asylum applicants undergo mandatory identity, security and criminality checks, while adding that immigration enforcement activity is at its highest level, with arrests for illegal working increasing by 83%.
