He boasted he was 'the best smuggler' - now he's behind bars

An Iranian man who boasted of being "the best smuggler" and orchestrated Channel boat crossings from his Lancashire home has been jailed for 17 years.

Amanj Hasan Zada was found guilty of three counts of facilitating illegal immigration following a two-week trial at Preston Crown Court, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has confirmed. The 34 year old masterminded at least three crossings from France to the UK in November and December 2023, but NCA officials suspect he was involved in many more.

The crossings he arranged were predominantly for Kurdish migrants who journeyed through eastern Europe to Germany, Belgium, and then France.

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Operating under the alias Amanj Zaman on social media, Zada, of Stefano Road, Preston, promoted his illicit services, even sharing videos of grateful clients who had paid him. One particular video discovered on YouTube by the NCA, believed to have been filmed in Iraq in 2021, captures Zada at a celebration where musicians hail him as "the best smuggler" in song, praising his pioneering role among traffickers, while he lavishly throws money and discharges a firearm into the air.

NCA operatives managed to intercept conversations between Zada and fellow smugglers discussing migrant movements, locations, and successful entries into the UK.

NCA branch commander Martin Clarke, commenting on the case, said: "Amanj Hasan Zada ran a sophisticated people-smuggling enterprise, using social media to advertise his services. While we have uncovered evidence directly linking him to three specific crossings, there is no doubt in my mind that he was likely to have been involved in many more."

"For him it was all about profit and he had no issues with putting people in life-threatening situations as long as he got paid. People smugglers like him risk lives, which is why we are determined to do all we can to stop them, wherever they operate."

The NCA revealed they are conducting approximately 70 ongoing investigations into networks or individuals considered to be at the top echelon of organised immigration crime or human trafficking.