A Brighton man has been jailed for three years for his role in a huge people trafficking racket.
Arie Ali, 27, of Ashton Rise, Brighton, was found guilty of conspiring to help unlawful immigration into the UK.
He denied the charge and is understood to be submitting an appeal against his conviction.
Sussex Police said yesterday (Thursday 25 July) that he was one of 13 gang members who have now been convicted of trafficking people from the Middle East into Britain.
Details emerged after the last in a series of criminal trials following a two-year investigation which started in Sussex and was led by detectives from the South East Regional Organised Crime Unit (SEROCU).
They uncovered the network which specialised in smuggling people illegally from Iraq and the Kurdistan region into Britain.
Detective Superintendent Jeff Riley, the Sussex Police policy lead on modern slavery, said: “This case originated in Sussex and we worked closely to support our SEROCU colleagues in their arrests of the two principals.
“This case illustrates once again the success of the co-ordinated law enforcement approach to organised crime groups.”
The final trial has just ended at Woolwich Crown Court, in London, with all but two of the gang having been sentenced to a total of more than 45 years in prison.
As well as people trafficking, gang members were convicted of money laundering and perverting the course of justice.
Sussex Police said: “Throughout the trials, the courts heard how the gang would use contacts across the UK, Europe and Asia to move people to a holding point – often in south eastern France.
“They were then taken by taxi to Belgium where they would be hidden within lorries heading to the UK by ferry.
“The victims would travel either in the lorry cab, on top of the cab in the wind deflector or underneath the trailer on a pallet shelf.
“If they were detained in the UK, they would immediately claim asylum and be released to UK family members who had paid the organised crime group between £8,000 and £10,000 per individual.
“If they were not caught, the lorry would take the victims to meet a UK-based member of the organised crime group at service stations close to ferry terminals where they would be taken away in a waiting car.
“This was a complex and challenging investigation which was led by detectives from SEROCU and involved colleagues from Sussex Police, Kent Police, Devon and Cornwall Police, West Midlands Police, Nottinghamshire Police and UK Border Force.
“Officers quickly established that this human trafficking operation was being led by 33-year-old Alan Hoger and 34-year-old Goran Ahmed – both from East Sussex.
“Hoger and Ahmed, who are both Kurdish, had set up operating bases in Hastings and St Leonards for their criminal enterprise but had a nationwide network of customers, money launderers and criminal associates in places such as Bolton, Nottingham, Devon, Brighton, Eastbourne and Hull.
“Hoger had boasted of being a millionaire to his friends as he laundered his profits from the organised crime group with help from his wife – through legitimate companies – back to the Kurdistan region.
“Throughout this investigation, a total of £144,000 in cash was seized.
“Hoger was jailed for 10 years and Ahmed was jailed for eight years.
“Other key members of the gang were Cristinel Samson, a 50-year-old Romanian lorry driver, of Grimstone Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, who was responsible for smuggling illegal migrants into the UK (and) Ionut Cornila, a 27-year-old Romanian lorry driver, who was responsible for arranging and co-ordinating other drivers around Europe.
“The pair was sentenced to five years and four years imprisonment respectively for their roles in the gang.
“A number of others were also jailed for their part in assisting the traffickers and attempting to disrupt the police investigation.”
Detective Chief Inspector Steve May, from SEROCU’s investigations team, said: “This gang took advantage of their links to the Middle East to exploit vulnerable people for financial gain, with no concern about putting their lives in danger.
“They targeted the Kurdish community and looked to make as much profit out of every individual they could exploit. Their only concern was their profit margins.
“They set up an elaborate network of contacts to facilitate their work, which was uncovered by SEROCU officers assisted by our colleagues in a number of police forces and other agencies.
“The joint approach to investigating this organised crime group was invaluable as we were dealing with offenders based all across the UK and beyond.
“We are pleased that the seriousness of this offending has been recognised by the sentences imposed by the courts.
“This case should serve as a clear warning to those involved in trafficking people into the UK. Be in no doubt, we have an extensive investigative network and range of tactics to combat such criminal activity.
“We will seek them out and bring them before the courts.”
In addition to Arie Ali, from Brighton, those convicted were
- Alan Hoger, 33, of Kenilworth Road, St Leonards, who was found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK and one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was the head of the organised crime group and was -jailed for 10 years in total.
- Goran Ahmed, 34, of Farley Bank, Hastings, was found guilty of four counts of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK and one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property. He was Hoger’s deputy and would run the operation while Hoger was out of the UK. He was jailed for eight years in total.
- Cristinel Samson, 50, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK. He was a Romanian lorry driver responsible for smuggling illegal migrants into the UK. He was jailed for five years.
- Ionut Cornila, 27, of Romania, was found guilty of five counts of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK. He was a lorry driver from Romania responsible for arranging and co-ordinating other drivers to bring illegal migrants into the UK. He was jailed for four years.
- Mohammed Rasul, 30, of Church Road, Ashford, Kent, was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK. He assisted in facilitating illegal migrants entering the UK. He was jailed for three years.
- Neyaz Hamasaid, 34, of Stour Street, West Bromwich, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to assist in unlawful immigration to the UK. He assisted in facilitating illegal migrants entering the UK. He was jailed for three years.
- Bakhtyar Mohammed, 46, of Netherfield Road, Bolton, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to convert criminal property. He laundered £8,000 for the organised crime group. He was sentenced to a year in prison suspended for two years.
- Kveta Conkova, 31, of Kenilworth Road, St Leonards, was found guilty of one count of converting criminal property. She is the wife of Alan Hoger and assisted with laundering money for the organised crime group. She was jailed for three and a half years.
- Ian Salam, 34, of The Rookery, Eastbourne, was found guilty of one count of converting criminal property, one count of perverting the course of justice and one count of conspiracy to pervert the court of justice. He helped launder money for the gang. He was jailed for four years and three months.
- Susan Mohammed, 36, of The Rookery, Eastbourne, was found guilty of one count of perverting the course of justice. She also helped launder money. She was jailed for four months.
- Kaiwan Ali, 36, of Dryden Street, Nottingham, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and is due to be sentenced on Monday 12 August.
- Ari Ako, 37, of Dryden Street, Nottingham, was found guilty of perverting the course of justice and is due to be sentenced on Monday 12 August.
