Three arrested in joint UK-Kurdistan Region operation targeting people smuggling network

NEWSROOM — A joint operation between the UK’s National Crime Agency and security forces in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has resulted in the arrest of three individuals linked to a global people smuggling network, the NCA announced. The network is accused of facilitating the movement of migrants from the Kurdistan Region to Europe and the UK.

The arrests occurred in Sulaymaniyah between Jan. 8 and Jan. 12. The suspects include a 38-year-old alleged coordinator who arranged the use of yachts to transport migrants to Greece and Italy, a hawala banker in his 40s who managed the network’s financial transactions, and a middleman in his 30s responsible for gathering migrants, according to the NCA statement. Each yacht reportedly carried 60 to 70 people, destined for northern Europe or the UK.

“This is the next significant step in taking on the people smuggling gangs who dominate the deadly cross-Channel small boat trade, many of whom operate from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq,” said Rob Jones, NCA Director General of Operations. “Thanks to our co-operation with the KRI authorities, we have demonstrated that this is no longer the case and they will be held to account.”

The operation builds on the November 2024 conviction of UK-based smuggler Amanj Hassan Zada, also known as Amanj Zaman, who was sentenced to 17 years in prison. Zada had advertised his smuggling services on social media, posting videos of successful crossings to attract clients. One video featured migrants praising him from a boat en route to Italy, while another showed him at a party in the Kurdistan Region, where musicians hailed him as “the best smuggler.”

Branch Commander Martin Clarke, part of the NCA team deployed to the Kurdistan Region for the arrests, emphasized the importance of international collaboration. “The NCA have been able to follow the trail of this network, from Amanj Hasan Zada in his house in Preston [in the UK] right the way back to Sulaymaniyah [in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region] where we believe this gang were operating and recruiting.

“We have had fantastic co-operation from Asayish agencies in both Erbil and Sulaymaniyah as part of this investigation, and I’d like to thank them for that,” he said in the statement.

UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper hailed the operation as evidence of strengthened partnerships. “Just seven weeks ago, as part of the Government’s Plan for Change, I signed the UK’s landmark deal on law enforcement cooperation and border security with Iraq and met with the Kurdish Regional Government, signalling our determination to work together to dismantle the criminal smuggling gangs operating through that region” she said.

On Nov. 26, 2024, Cooper signed a security cooperation agreement in Baghdad with her counterpart Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari. It aimed to enhance joint efforts to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime.

The NCA statement also revealed Zada’s tactics, including falsely claiming that Channel crossings were “one hundred percent safe” and sharing videos of migrants thanking him. Investigators believe he facilitated the movement of far more people than the three crossings for which he was convicted.

The Kurdistan Region Security Agency confirmed the operation in a statement, saying, “All members of the network, consisting of three individuals from the Kurdistan Region, have been arrested and are currently under investigation for charges related to human trafficking.”

The agency reiterated its commitment to combating human trafficking and maintaining security in the region.

In a related case, on May 13, 2024, the Kurdistan Region Security Agency announced the arrest of Barzan Majeed, a notorious human smuggler known as “Scorpion,” in Sulaymaniyah, following his appearance in a BBC investigation.