With the assistance of the UK government, three individuals were arrested in Sulaymaniyah on charges of smuggling migrants to Europe and the UK, according to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
Three men, suspected of being part of a global people-smuggling network moving migrants from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) into Europe and the UK, have been arrested.
The arrests followed a significant operation involving the NCA, the Kurdistan Region Security Council, and the Kurdistan Region Security Agency, as reported by the UK National Crime Agency.
“The operation is the first time the NCA has worked with Asayish (security) agencies in Erbil and Sulaymaniyah to target high-ranking people smugglers who are risking migrants’ lives in trying to transport them across Europe and into small boats to the UK,” the NCA stated.
The arrests in KRI occurred between Wednesday, January 8th, and Sunday, January 12th, with NCA officers deployed from the UK to support the operation. The three men remain in custody and are facing prosecution for human trafficking offenses by KRI authorities, according to the UK National Crime Agency.
The detained individuals are linked to the same network as Amanj Hassan Zada, a UK-based facilitator convicted in November 2024 following an NCA investigation.
One of the men arrested, a 38-year-old from Sulaymaniyah, is accused of coordinating yacht movements transporting migrants into Greece or Italy.
A Hawala banker, aged in his 40s and from Sulaymaniyah, is accused of processing financial transactions for Zada, while another man in his 30s, also from Sulaymaniyah, is accused of acting as a middle-man for the network.
Rob Jones, NCA Director General of Operations, stated, “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.”
“Previously they thought they were untouchable, but 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,” he added.
UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the NCA’s work, stating, “The NCA has done outstanding work with this investigation, and the success of this operation will have a material effect on the criminal networks currently trafficking people across Europe.”
“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, signaling our determination to work together to dismantle the criminal smuggling gangs operating through that region,” she added.
In late November 2024, the British Home Secretary visited Iraq and the Kurdistan Region, where a partnership agreement was signed.
According to the agreement, the UK will provide £800,000 to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to combat smuggling, illegal immigration, organized crime, and drug trafficking.
