Men who brought 100 migrants to Europe each week in ‘Tripadvisor for people smugglers’ scheme jailed
Two Smugglers Behind ‘Tripadvisor for People Smugglers’ Scheme Receive 19-Year Sentences
Two individuals operating a large-scale smuggling network from a car wash business were sentenced to 19 years in prison each. Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, organized the transport of approximately 100 migrants to Europe every week over two years, a scheme dubbed ‘Tripadvisor for people smugglers’ by the National Crime Agency.
They managed the operation from a legitimate car wash in Caerphilly, South Wales, and utilized a Middle Eastern money-transfer system known as Hawala banking to fund their activities. After partially admitting guilt during a trial, the pair appeared at Cardiff Crown Court for sentencing, where the judge noted their roles in a ‘sophisticated and successful’ smuggling operation.
Shamo and Khdir were both originally from Iraqi Kurdistan but were living and working legally in the UK. Following their involvement with the National Crime Agency (NCA), undercover investigators and surveillance officers collected hundreds of hours of evidence centered on their carwash business. An NCA spokesperson stated that the pair were part of ‘a larger organized crime group’ and facilitated the movement of migrants from Iraq, Iran, and Syria through Belarus, Moldova, and Bosnia, ending in Italy, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Germany, and France.
Multi-Tiered Smuggling Services
The smugglers offered a multi-tiered service, with migrants selecting their preferred route based on payment tiers. Platinum packages included fake passports and air travel, costing between £10,000 and £25,000. Gold tiers involved maritime transport for £8,000 to £10,000, while bronze, the most basic option, required travel via heavy goods vehicles or dinghies for £3,000 to £5,000.
“How was the route, guys?” a man asked in one clip, as someone at the back of the lorry gave a thumbs-up.
“God bless you, we are very grateful,” said one Iranian family who were smuggled to Europe, as they posed outside an airport.
“Lorry route agreed with knowledge of the driver; here we have men, women and children – thank God the route was easy and good,” a migrant stated in a video.
Derek Evans, NCA branch commander, compared their operation to a travel agency. “It’s like Tripadvisor, they were rating their service within that community,” he explained.
Despite their extensive operations, very little of their earnings have been recovered. This is due to the anonymity and untraceability of the Hawala system, which allowed them to funnel funds through Iraq and Kurdistan. “Most of that money remains in Iraq or Kurdistan,” said Evans. “The tangible assets in the UK are minimal, as the payments were processed through brokers without direct financial transfers.”
In Hawala banking, no cash is physically or electronically moved, making it difficult for police to recover proceeds of crimes. Those wishing to make the journey, or their relatives, make a payment with a broker in Iraq. At each stage of the journey, smugglers or facilitators take their share of the fee from other brokers across Europe, using a unique transaction code.
While Hawala banking serves legitimate purposes, such as enabling money transfers for those without bank accounts, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) notes its appeal to criminals. The ease of transactions through such systems makes them ideal for laundering profits. The agency urges operators to register for anti-money laundering oversight.
