Channel Smuggling Ring Leader Sentenced to 15 Years in Major Conviction
A French court has convicted 18 individuals for their roles in a vast people-smuggling operation responsible for thousands of dangerous Channel crossings.
- Mirkhan Rasoul, the 26-year-old Iraqi-Kurd leader of the smuggling network, was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined €200,000.
- The gang, primarily composed of Iraqi Kurds, orchestrated over 10,000 migrant crossings from France to the UK between 2020 and 2022.
- The network profited heavily, charging migrants up to £3,000 per crossing, with profits reaching up to £3 million annually.
- The operation was dismantled following a 2022 joint police effort across Europe, resulting in dozens of arrests and the seizure of boats and equipment.
- The trial highlighted the deadly risks involved, with at least 60 migrants dying during crossings this year, making 2024 the deadliest year since 2018.
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