Five in court charged over smuggling migrants from UK to France in lorries

Five men have been appeared in court charged over the smuggling of migrants from the UK to France in lorries, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

Madjid Belabes, 52, Said Bouazza, 54, Mourad Bouchlagehem, 43, Mohammed Mabrouk, 44, and Samir Zerguine, 51, were arrested on Wednesday morning and appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday charged with conspiracy to facilitate the illegal entry of a person into an EU country – France.

Their arrests came after more than 200 north African migrants, including children, were discovered in lorry trailers travelling from the UK to France on multiple occasions last year, according to the NCA.

Belabes, of Camberwell Grove, Camberwell, south-east London, is suspected of being a “high-ranking” member of the people smuggling crime network, the agency said.

Bouazza, of Oxestalls Road, Surrey Quays; Zerguine, of Flint Street, Southwark – both south-east London; Bouchlagehem, of Weymouth Terrace, Shoreditch, east London; and Mabrouk, of Hall Place, near Paddington, north-west London, are accused of transporting migrants in cars and vans to be loaded into lorries.

People smugglers don't care about the safety or wellbeing of human beings they transport, whether it is in boats or HGVs. They're driven solely by profits

The group is believed to be made up of Algerian and Egyptian nationals.

Twenty people have been arrested as part of the investigation to date, the NCA said.

Chris Hill, branch commander, said: “These arrests represent a key moment in our ongoing investigation into a large-scale criminal network responsible for smuggling north African migrants from the UK to France.

“People smugglers don’t care about the safety or wellbeing of human beings they transport, whether it is in boats or HGVs. They’re driven solely by profits.

“The same crime groups smuggling people out of the country are often engaged in bringing people in too, so operations like this allow us to target their UK footprint.

“People leaving the UK in lorries may be doing so because they are wanted by law enforcement, they may be trying to dodge French immigration checks, or they may be being trafficked or exploited.

“The risks to both the people being transported and to border security remains, regardless of the direction they are travelling in.”

Another man suspected of being involved in a people smuggling organised crime group appeared in a different UK court on Thursday.

Arsen Feci appeared at Nottingham Crown Court charged with assisting unlawful immigration to the UK over his alleged involvement in bringing people from France and Belgium, the NCA said.

The 46-year-old, from Broxtowe Street, Nottingham, was extradited to the UK from Spain and was arrested on Wednesday at Heathrow Airport.

The NCA said he was arrested in Spain in August having fled the UK in March last year when he was bailed by the courts ahead of a trial.

Investigators believe Feci was allegedly involved in buying equipment and sourcing people to “staff” crossings from France and Belgium to the UK.