LONDON, UK – A London-based people smuggling ring that attempted dozens of dangerous cross-Channel runs by packing migrants into lorry trailers has been dismantled by the National Crime Agency (NCA). The group’s ringleader and 11 accomplices have now been convicted following a year-long investigation.
The gang, led by 41-year-old Algerian national Azize Benaniba, used UK tourist visas to bring North African migrants into the country, before charging them up to £1,200 for illegal passage to France via Dover. Children as young as five were among those hidden in refrigerated and airtight trailers.
Benaniba, who pleaded guilty ahead of trial, orchestrated at least 20 smuggling runs between February and October 2023. Footage recovered from his gang showed migrants screaming and banging from inside locked trailers, including one horrifying clip where a child cried for help.
Three additional members of the gang were found guilty on 16 June after a six-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court. The rest had previously pleaded guilty or were convicted earlier.
The group included:
- Mahmoud Haidous, 52
- Abed Karouz, 30
- Amor Ghabbari, 32
- Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50
- Mohamed Bouriche, 43, who coordinated logistics and migrant transfers
The NCA launched its probe after French police discovered 58 migrants inside a UK-bound lorry at Calais on 21 February 2023. Subsequent attempts were foiled by NCA surveillance teams, rescuing migrants and arresting complicit drivers.
In one particularly harrowing incident on 6 September 2023, 39 people including women and children were crammed into an airtight refrigerated trailer at a layby in Sandwich, Kent. A few required urgent medical attention upon rescue.
The coordinated takedown of the network’s leadership occurred on 20 March 2024 in North London. Phone evidence found at the scene included videos of migrants begging for their lives inside trailers.
“These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers,” said John Turner, NCA Senior Investigating Officer. “Their only concern was making money.”
He added,
“We’ve seen the fatal consequences of this crime type. Our work has safeguarded hundreds of migrants from serious danger and led to the convictions of a prolific smuggling network.”
The NCA emphasized that people smuggling gangs often overlap with those trafficking drugs and weapons, and that tackling organized immigration crime remains a top priority.
