A high-level people smuggler identified in a BBC investigation has been arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan. A network run by Kardo Jaf, who operates under the alias Kardo Ranya, is believed to have transported thousands of illegal migrants in small boats across the English Channel into the UK in recent years. He was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking offences by officers of the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency and remains in custody as investigations continue.
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases. By keeping his real name a closely guarded secret, Jaf made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant. His real name was uncovered last week by the BBC's Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie, whose pursuit of the smuggler is told in the Radio 4 podcast Intrigue: To Catch A King.
Confronted by the BBC with the allegations, Jaf denied being a smuggler and said he had only ever advised people on how to leave Iraq. He also stated that he did not believe he had committed any offence. Jaf is suspected of being a key player in an Iraqi Kurdish network that has controlled the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years. He has mainly been known - both to migrants and fellow smugglers - by the pseudonym Kardo Ranya, taken from the town in Iraqi Kurdistan he and the other network leaders were from.
This is a powerful network that all comes back to Ranya, said Kurdish MP Dr. Muthana Nader, adding that he believed 70% of illegal migration to the UK was controlled from the town. Jaf promoted his services on social media, offering a people-smuggling service that covered the distance from Afghanistan to the UK, featuring glamorous images of London and customer testimonials.
Pricing for his smuggling services reportedly varied, with quotes as high as £160,000 for a family to be transported to the UK via a VIP flight. Conversely, reports surfaced from less affluent passengers, who described precarious and overcrowded boats making the journey across the English Channel.
The UK's National Crime Agency confirmed a suspected people smuggler's arrest on 13 May, without naming Jaf, emphasizing the significance of these operations and ongoing investigations into organized immigration crime networks in the region. The Director General of Operations at the NCA, Rob Jones, indicated that numerous law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring individuals involved in such illicit activities.
With almost all those arriving through small-boat crossings claiming asylum, under international law they are permitted to remain while their applications are processed, highlighting the complex challenges surrounding immigration in the UK.
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases. By keeping his real name a closely guarded secret, Jaf made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant. His real name was uncovered last week by the BBC's Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie, whose pursuit of the smuggler is told in the Radio 4 podcast Intrigue: To Catch A King.
Confronted by the BBC with the allegations, Jaf denied being a smuggler and said he had only ever advised people on how to leave Iraq. He also stated that he did not believe he had committed any offence. Jaf is suspected of being a key player in an Iraqi Kurdish network that has controlled the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years. He has mainly been known - both to migrants and fellow smugglers - by the pseudonym Kardo Ranya, taken from the town in Iraqi Kurdistan he and the other network leaders were from.
This is a powerful network that all comes back to Ranya, said Kurdish MP Dr. Muthana Nader, adding that he believed 70% of illegal migration to the UK was controlled from the town. Jaf promoted his services on social media, offering a people-smuggling service that covered the distance from Afghanistan to the UK, featuring glamorous images of London and customer testimonials.
Pricing for his smuggling services reportedly varied, with quotes as high as £160,000 for a family to be transported to the UK via a VIP flight. Conversely, reports surfaced from less affluent passengers, who described precarious and overcrowded boats making the journey across the English Channel.
The UK's National Crime Agency confirmed a suspected people smuggler's arrest on 13 May, without naming Jaf, emphasizing the significance of these operations and ongoing investigations into organized immigration crime networks in the region. The Director General of Operations at the NCA, Rob Jones, indicated that numerous law enforcement agencies are closely monitoring individuals involved in such illicit activities.
With almost all those arriving through small-boat crossings claiming asylum, under international law they are permitted to remain while their applications are processed, highlighting the complex challenges surrounding immigration in the UK.
