Three East London men have been sentenced for smuggling migrants into the UK by lorry, as part of an organised crime group. Jalal Tarakhail, 25, from Ilford, Najib Khan, 39, from Ilford, and Waqas Ikram, 41, from Dagenham, were sentenced to a combined 22 years for their crimes at Oxford Crown Court yesterday (August 2).
They were part of a criminal gang which charged migrants up to £7,000 per head to come to the UK. The trio also used GPS trackers to trace vehicles which had people hidden inside.
Tarakhail was also involved in building a concealment in a lorry that was found to have 16 migrants inside, 11 of whom were children. Ikram and Khan had also purchased an inflatable lifeboat to smuggle people over the Channel to the UK.
In March 2021, Ikram was caught attempting to break into a HGV to put four migrants inside without the driver’s knowledge. He was detained in a National Crime Agency (NCA) operation.
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At the time of his arrest, he had been working for an organised people smuggling crime group, led by Mokter Hossain, who was later jailed for ten years, as part of a NCA operation. Following his arrest, the NCA discovered Ikram had also been involved in a separate criminal network along with Tarakhail and Khan, in which they charged migrants thousands to bring them to the UK.
“These individuals risked the lives of others, charging them substantial sums for a dangerous and illegal journey,” said Andy Noyes, NCA Branch Commander at Slough. “Ikram and Khan even went as far as purchasing a small boat, shifting their attention from HGVs in an effort to maximise their profits.
“Tackling organised immigration crime remains a priority for the NCA. We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the networks involved, and pursue every avenue available to save lives.”
Yesterday (August 2), Ikram and Khan were both sentenced to nine years, and Tarakhail to four. Evidence showed that they had been involved in several unsuccessful and successful crossings by lorry in 2019.
The NCA were also able to prove that the crime group had been involved in two earlier unsuccessful attempts involving 32 migrants. Drivers and a transporter manager had also been jailed in the Netherlands and France as part of these.
Ikram was arrested by the NCA in 2021 and charged with people smuggling offences. He was released on bail by the court. Along with Khan, he was detained in connection with further offences in July 2022 and charged with three counts of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. Ikram pleaded guilty, while Khan was found guilty by trial.
Tarakhail was arrested in August 2023 at London Gatwick, travelling back to the UK from Dubai. He was convicted of one count of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration in February 2024.
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