UK sanctions notorious people-smuggling gangs and their enablers in global crackdown
Source: gov.uk (2025-07-23)

Gang ring leaders, key intermediaries and suppliers of people-smuggling equipment have today [July 23] been hit with the first ever sanctions targeting irregular migration by the UK.

- UK sanctions 25 targets at the heart of people-smuggling networks that drive irregular migration to the UK.
- Sanctions come on day 1 of the UK’s world-first dedicated sanctions regime targeting irregular migration and organised immigration crime.
- Action marks latest step in government’s campaign to secure Britain’s borders and reduce irregular migration, delivering on the Plan for Change.
Gang ring leaders, key intermediaries and suppliers of people-smuggling equipment have today [July 23] been hit with the first ever sanctions targeting irregular migration by the UK. Today’s sanctions target individuals and entities involved in people-smuggling and driving irregular migration to the UK, from a small boat supplier in Asia, to informal Hawala money movers in the Middle East, to gang leaders based in the Balkans and North Africa.

They cover a range of different activities from supplying small boats explicitly for smuggling, to sourcing fake passports, middlemen facilitating illicit payments through Hawala, people-smuggling via lorries and small boats, and the gangland leaders themselves.

Sanctions can disrupt the flow of money and materials - including freezing property, bank accounts and other assets - which allow organised criminal gangs to operate this vile trade. The plans are a key example of the FCDO using innovative foreign policy approaches to deliver on the government’s Plan for Change. The regime will be the world’s first dedicated to targeting people-smuggling and organised immigration crime, with the exploitation of vulnerable people by criminals and their associated networks being one of the key drivers of irregular migration to the UK.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

This is a landmark moment in the government’s work to tackle organised immigration crime, reduce irregular migration to the UK and deliver on the Plan for Change.

From Europe to Asia we are taking the fight to the people-smugglers who enable irregular migration, targeting them wherever they are in the world and making them pay for their actions.

My message to the gangs who callously risk vulnerable lives for profit is this: we know who you are, and we will work with our partners around the world to hold you to account.

Among those sanctioned today is Bledar Lala, an Albanian who is in control of the ‘Belgium operations’ of an organised criminal group which smuggles migrants from Belgium across the English Channel to the United Kingdom.

Sanctions have also been brought against a company in China which has advertised their small boats on an online marketplace explicitly for the purpose of people-smuggling. The boats advertised are of the type used by criminal gangs in which migrants are packed, before being sent across the Channel at huge risk.

The UK is also sanctioning Alen Basil, a former police translator who went on to lead a large smuggling network in Serbia, terrorising refugees, with the aid of corrupt policemen. Basil was subsequently found to be living in a house in Serbia worth more than one million euros, bought with money extorted from countless desperate migrants.

Also sanctioned is Mohammed Tetwani, the self-styled “King of Horgos”, who brutally oversaw a migrant camp in Horgos, Serbia and led the Tetwani people-smuggling gang. Tetwani and his followers are known for their violent treatment of refugees who decline their services or cannot pay for them.

Today’s package also includes individuals like Muhammed Khadir Pirot, a hawala banker involved in informal money transfer networks, which people-smugglers use as a way of taking payment from migrants.

All of those sanctioned today are publicly named and barred from engaging with the UK financial system, helping to further undermine their operations.

NCA Director General Graeme Biggar said:

The NCA is determined to use every tool at our disposal to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in people-smuggling, preventing harm to those they exploit for profit and protecting the UK’s border security.

These new sanctions powers will complement that NCA activity. We have worked with the FCDO and partners to progress the designation of these sanctioned persons.

They will give the UK a new way of pursuing, undermining and frustrating the operational capability of a wide range of organised immigration crime networks, including those who facilitate or enable offending.

Today’s designations are the first made under the UK’s new Global Irregular Migration Sanctions Regime. The regime is a world first and empowers the FCDO to impose sanctions not only on individuals and entities involved in people-smuggling to the UK, but also any financiers and companies found to be enabling their activities.

The FCDO has worked closely with the National Crime Agency and other partners to develop its cases and ensure they complement law enforcement activity.

Today’s announcement is part of the FCDO’s three-pronged ‘disrupt, deter, return’ strategy to tackle irregular migration globally. In addition to disrupting organised immigration crime networks through sanctions, the FCDO works with source and transit countries to deter would-be migrants from making a dangerous journey in the first place and works with the Home Office to negotiate the return of people who have no right to be here to their countries of origin, including criminals and failed asylum seekers. Since the election, over 35,000 people have been returned, up 13% on the same period in the year before.

Background

The individuals and entities sanctioned today can be seen below:

Iraqi-linked people-smuggling

Goran Assad Jalal, formed part of an organised crime group which stowed migrants in refrigerated lorries which crossed the English Channel from France to the United Kingdom on at least ten occasions between January and March 2019.

Hemin Ali Salih, helped smuggle migrants into the UK in the backs of lorries.

Dedawan Dazey, a people-smuggler who runs safe houses for migrants in Northern France before they are smuggled to the United Kingdom.

Roman Ranyaye, an Iraqi people-smuggler responsible for the smuggling of migrants from Asia to Europe.

Azad Khoshnaw, for supplying inflatable boats, onboard motors and other maritime equipment for use in people-smuggling of migrants from France to the UK.

Nuzad Khoshnaw, for equipping gangs in Northern France with outboard motors, inflatable boats, and other maritime equipment for use in people-smuggling to the UK.

Nihad Mohsin Xoshnaw, for providing inflatable boats, outboard motors and other maritime equipment used by migrants to cross the English Channel from France.

Hawala Network

Muhammed Khadir Pirot, a hawala banker who controls payments from people being smuggled from the Kurdistan region of Iraq to Europe via Turkey.

Mariwan Jamal, controls money movements through a Hawala banker, which handles payments to people smugglers from migrants in Iraq.

Rafiq Shaqlaway, involved in hawala banking as an advisor to migrants looking to pay smugglers operating routes into Europe via Turkey.

North African gangs operating in the Balkans

Kazawi Gang, a people-smuggling network which controls people-smuggling routes from North Africa into the EU known to deal out harsh punishments to migrants who are unable to pay.

Tetwani Gang, known as one of the Balkan’s most violent people-smuggling gangs, members are reported to hold migrants for ransom and sexually abuse women unable to pay their fees.

Gangland bosses

Bledar Lala, leads a smuggling ring moving people from Belgium across the English Channel to the UK.

Alen Basil, a former police translator who through violence and intimidation became boss of a large people-smuggling network.

Mohammed Tetwani, the head of the ‘Tetwani’ gang and self-styled “King” of Horgos in Serbia.

Yassine Al Maghribi Al-Kasaoui, the boss of the “Kazawi” gang.

Balkan gangs supplying fake passports

Kavač Gang, a Balkan organised crime organisation known to use fake passports to smuggle its gang members between the Balkans and Turkey.

Škaljari Gang, an organised crime organisation in Montenegro that smuggles criminals between the Balkans and Turkey.

Dalibor Ćurlik, procures fake passports and forged documents for use in the Kavač gang’s people-smuggling.

Almir Jahović, member of the Kavač gang, which is involved in supplying fake passports for smuggling gang members across borders

Marko Petrović, a member of the Kavač gang which sources false identification and passports for use in people-smuggling.

Nikola Vein helps the Škaljari Gang secure fake passports and travel documents for use in people smuggling.

Ratko Živković, a Škaljari Gang associate, which gathers fake passports for the purpose of smuggling gang members across borders.

Dejan Pavlović, a member or close associate of the Škaljari Gang, which supports the manufacture of false identities and passports.

The following company based in China has been designated over the manufacture of inflatable boats being advertised for people smuggling.
- Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co
Background to the Global Irregular Migration sanctions regime

Using the powers conferred by the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act (the Sanctions Act) the Government has laid secondary legislation before Parliament that introduces a new Global Irregular Migration sanctions regime. The Regulations will be debated by both Houses of Parliament when they return from the summer recess in line with the made affirmative procedure.

The UK Sanctions List FCDO - UK Sanctions List Search - GOV.UK (https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fsearch-uk-sanctions-list.service.gov.uk%2F&data=05%7C02%7CIeuan.Harrild%40fcdo.gov.uk%7C6a287ccb4f794c7ff49108ddc94ad846%7Cd3a2d0d37cc84f52bbf985bd43d94279%7C0%7C0%7C638888045489637440%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=0T2rwoss%2FkA2oG3XEF1O329oK2qj3hJoXQRpiGUb9e8%3D&reserved=0)

Asset freeze
- An asset freeze prevents any UK citizen, or any business in the UK, from dealing with any funds or economic resources which are owned, held or controlled by the designated person. UK financial sanctions apply to all persons within the territory and territorial sea of the UK and to all UK persons, wherever they are in the world. It also prevents funds or economic resources being provided to or for the benefit of the designated person.
Travel ban
- A travel ban means that the designated person must be refused leave to enter or to remain in the United Kingdom, providing the individual is an excluded person under section 8B of the Immigration Act 1971.
Director disqualifications
- Where director disqualification sanctions apply, it will be an offence for a person designated for the purpose of those sanctions to act as a director of a company or to take part in the management, formation or promotion of a UK company.
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