A high-level people smuggler identified in a BBC investigation has been arrested in Iraqi Kurdistan. A network run by Kardo Jaf, who operates under the alias Kardo Ranya, is believed to have transported thousands of illegal migrants in small boats across the English Channel into the UK in recent years. He was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking offences by officers of the Kurdistan Regional Security Agency and remains in custody as investigations continue.
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases. By keeping his real name a closely guarded secret, Jaf made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant. His real name was uncovered last week by the BBC's Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie, whose pursuit of the smuggler is told in the Radio 4 podcast Intrigue: To Catch A King.
Confronted by the BBC with the allegations, Jaf denied being a smuggler and said he had only ever advised people on how to leave Iraq. He also said he did not believe he had committed any offence. Jaf is suspected of being a key player in an Iraqi Kurdish network that has controlled the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years. He has mainly been known - both to migrants and fellow smugglers - by the pseudonym Kardo Ranya, the surname taken from the town in Iraqi Kurdistan he and the other leaders of the network were from.
This powerful network is believed to control around 70% of illegal migration to the UK, according to Kurdish MP Dr. Muthana Nader. As documented in the podcast, Jaf promoted his services on social media, offering a people-smuggling service that covered the distance stretching from Afghanistan to the UK. His adverts featured glamorous images of London and testimonials from seemingly satisfied customers, while he offered different routes and modes of transport based on affordability.
For premium services, Jaf quoted prices as high as £160,000 for a family to arrive in the UK via a 'VIP' flight service. However, some of his less affluent passengers shared harrowing experiences of being forced onto dangerously overcrowded boats and left to navigate the perilous English Channel themselves.
The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that a suspected people smuggler had been arrested on 13 May, without naming Jaf. Its Director General of Operations, Rob Jones, referred to the arrest as potentially significant, underlining the ongoing active investigations into organised human trafficking networks. Jones noted that the NCA currently has over 100 investigations into networks or individuals involved in immigration crime across the Middle East and Africa.
The 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd had operated for several years under a number of aliases. By keeping his real name a closely guarded secret, Jaf made it more difficult for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant. His real name was uncovered last week by the BBC's Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie, whose pursuit of the smuggler is told in the Radio 4 podcast Intrigue: To Catch A King.
Confronted by the BBC with the allegations, Jaf denied being a smuggler and said he had only ever advised people on how to leave Iraq. He also said he did not believe he had committed any offence. Jaf is suspected of being a key player in an Iraqi Kurdish network that has controlled the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years. He has mainly been known - both to migrants and fellow smugglers - by the pseudonym Kardo Ranya, the surname taken from the town in Iraqi Kurdistan he and the other leaders of the network were from.
This powerful network is believed to control around 70% of illegal migration to the UK, according to Kurdish MP Dr. Muthana Nader. As documented in the podcast, Jaf promoted his services on social media, offering a people-smuggling service that covered the distance stretching from Afghanistan to the UK. His adverts featured glamorous images of London and testimonials from seemingly satisfied customers, while he offered different routes and modes of transport based on affordability.
For premium services, Jaf quoted prices as high as £160,000 for a family to arrive in the UK via a 'VIP' flight service. However, some of his less affluent passengers shared harrowing experiences of being forced onto dangerously overcrowded boats and left to navigate the perilous English Channel themselves.
The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) announced that a suspected people smuggler had been arrested on 13 May, without naming Jaf. Its Director General of Operations, Rob Jones, referred to the arrest as potentially significant, underlining the ongoing active investigations into organised human trafficking networks. Jones noted that the NCA currently has over 100 investigations into networks or individuals involved in immigration crime across the Middle East and Africa.
