Man sentenced to 11 years in prison for aiding the illegal entry of over 10,000 immigrants into the UK

 

Iranian national Hewa Rahimpur, 30, operated the network from his residence in Ilford, located in east London. He procured the boats from Turkey and arranged for their delivery to various destinations in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Following Rahimpur’s apprehension, a wide-scale European law enforcement operation was initiated. This effort resulted in the seizure of 135 boats, 1,200 life jackets, a substantial sum of Euros in cash, and the apprehension of 40 individuals.

In Belgium, two individuals taken into custody identified Rahimpur as the individual responsible for acquiring and coordinating the transportation of boats to the French coastline.

The National Crime Agency reported six arrests in the UK and shared crucial intelligence with European counterparts, leading to further apprehensions on the continent.

Rahimpur was one of 20 individuals sentenced in Bruges. The court heard that they charged desperate immigrants between £3,000 and £6,000 each for the perilous Channel crossing. After acquiring the boats, Rahimpur enlisted other members of the criminal network to transport them to northern France, where illegal migrants would embark on their journey to Britain.

In May 2022, while taking a leisurely stroll in Wanstead Park, the National Crime Agency apprehended him following a joint investigation by the NCA and Belgian authorities.

Their involvement began in October 2021, when boats were confiscated and motors were discovered in the rear of two vehicles near the Belgian-French border.

Examination of mobile phone records revealed that the drivers had been in communication with a UK-based phone number, exchanging messages pertaining to boat movements and delivery locations.

The NCA successfully traced the number back to Rahimpur, locating him in east London, where he was taken into custody pending extradition.

His arrest set off a wide-ranging operation across Europe to apprehend other members of the network, resulting in arrests in the UK, Germany, France, and the Netherlands in July 2022.

In Germany, 60 inflatable boats and hundreds of life jackets, which would have been utilised by the gang, were confiscated.

In July 2022, a UK court ruled that Rahimpur should be extradited to Belgium to stand trial in Bruges.

There, prosecutors accused him of orchestrating ‘systematic human smuggling’ via small boats, charging migrants between £3,000 and £6,000 for the perilous crossing.

In Bruges, a judge has pronounced a guilty verdict, sentencing him to 11 years behind bars.

Nineteen others were also found guilty in tandem with him, receiving prison sentences ranging from 30 months to eight years.

According to Jean-Philippe Lecouffe, Deputy Director of Europol, migrants shell out between £2,000 and £9,000 for the perilous journey. The nefarious activities of this criminal syndicate raked in a staggering £51.4 million in 2021 alone.

Craig Turner, Deputy Director of Investigations at the NCA, stated, “Hewa Rahimpur’s network was, at the time of his apprehension, one of the most prolific criminal groups engaged in small boat crossings, facilitating the transportation of thousands of migrants to the UK.”

“Securing his conviction demanded collaborative efforts from law enforcement agencies across Europe. It underscores the NCA’s unwavering commitment to disrupting and dismantling these perilous people-smuggling outfits, which view human lives as a commodity to exploit while flouting the integrity of the UK border.”

“Our endeavours are ongoing; the NCA presently has roughly 90 active investigations into high-level organised immigration crime, encompassing those employing both boats and HGVs.”

“These criminal networks are indifferent to the welfare of those they transport, callously subjecting them to extreme peril and life-threatening situations. This is why disbanding and disabling them remains a paramount objective for us.”