Middlesbrough dad who smuggled migrants into UK in refrigerated …

A Teesside man has been jailed as part of an organised crime group[1] that smuggling migrants into the UK in the back of a refrigerated lorry. The gang's activities were uncovered following a four-year investigation by the National Crime Agency, and a surveillance operation that led to their arrests. Father-of-three Pshtewan Ghafour, from Middlesbrough, was jailed for five years for his role in the organisation which included ensuring the group members were paid.

Romanian national Marinel Danut Palage was a key member of an organised crime group convicted of bringing people illegally into the country. The 31-year-old, who lives in Spain, would meet the migrants in northern France before taking them in the back of his lorry on a ferry from Caen to Portsmouth. He would then drive them to an industrial estate at Runcton near Chichester, West Sussex, where they would be met by drivers to take them to the Midlands and north of England.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that the operation was carried out at least three times bringing about 10 to 12 people illegally into the UK. Palage and the four others were arrested in March 2019 on the third trip by officers following a four-year investigation by the National Crime Agency. In the early hours of March 11, 2019, NCA officers watched as members of the group drove their VW Touran people carrier to rendezvous with a lorry driven by Romanian national Palage, 31, at an industrial estate in Runcton, West Sussex.

The truck had arrived in Portsmouth on a ferry from Caen, in northern France, the previous evening, and was carrying a legitimate load of spinach from Spain. It was also carrying at least three people who had been brought to the UK illegally. After meeting up with the lorry the VW drove away, only to stop in a layby on the A27, where migrants were transferred into two further cars.

One, a Vauxhall Astra, was stopped by the NCA on the A34 northbound. Driven by gang member Mariwan Mustafa, 33, two Iraqi nationals - a sister and brother aged 18 and 13 - were in the passenger seats. The second car, an Audi A3, was stopped by police on the M3 and a 30-year-old Iraqi woman was found.

Palage attempted to run off as NCA officers approached his truck, but he was detained and arrested. During a search of his cab, plastic bags containing GBP34,500 cash were found. Further bundles of euros and sterling to the value of around 7,000 were located hidden behind a tachograph panel.

Later that morning, the VW Touran was stopped at Liphook services on the A3. In the driver's seat was Goran Jalal, 37, from Bradford, who is the alleged ringleader of the network and was in contact with Palage to arrange the meet-up. He is now wanted by the NCA having absconded following his arrest.

In the passenger seat was gang member Kamaran Kader, 44, also from Bradford. NCA investigators pieced together the conspiracy following the seizure of phones, identifying other members of the group and at least two other suspected people smuggling events into Portsmouth in January and March 2019. Phone evidence showed that 37-year-old Pshtewan Ghafour, from Middlesbrough[3], had travelled down to Portsmouth with Jalal, Kader on the same nights that Palage arrived in his lorry on a ferry from France.

Analysis of the cash seized from Palage's lorry found Ghafour and Kader's fingerprints on the bags and envelopes containing the money. Two other members of the group were identified through phone evidence - Manchester duo Jamal Saied, aged 38, and Hemin Salih, aged 37. They were also found to have been in the Chichester area on the night of the March 11 handover.

Following a four week trial at Bournemouth Crown Court, Palage and Ghafour were found guilty of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. Saied and Mustafa were found guilty of facilitating illegal immigration. Salih absconded before the start of the trial, but was convicted of the same offence in his absence.

They will be sentenced on April 20.

Sentencing Palage, Judge William Mousley KC told him: "You performed the essential function of driving the immigrants across the border in your lorry. You had a clear organisational role in managing aspects of the enterprise. "You expected, and received, large sums of money for your involvement." The judge added that Palage had shown no remorse as he had gone on to carry out similar offences in Germany and had to be extradited to stand trial in the UK.

He ordered that Palage's vehicle and the money found to be seized. Teessider and father-of-three Ghafour, was jailed for five years for his role in the organisation. Both defendants were found guilty of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration following a four-week trial.

NCA branch commander Richard Harrison said: "This people smuggling group were content to put vulnerable migrants, including children, in the back of refrigerated lorries for hours on end during dangerous Channel crossings. It is clear from the evidence we found that their sole reason was for profit, without any regard to the migrants' safety." The ringleader Goran Jalal, 37, from Bradford, remains wanted by the NCA having absconded following his arrest.Kamaran Kader, 44, also from Bradford; Mariwan Mustafa, 33, from Halifax; and Manchester duo Jamal Saied, 38; and 37-year-old Hemin Salih, who has also absconded, will be sentenced separately for their part in the network.

References

1. ^ organised crime group (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
2. ^ Anti-yob order extended at troubled Berwick Hills shops days after 'horrific' alleged gang attack (www.gazettelive.co.uk)
3. ^ Middlesbrough (www.gazettelive.co.uk)