In a landmark cross-border operation, British authorities teamed up with officials from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq for the first time, leading to the arrest of three men in Sulaymaniyah. The suspects face accusations of running a large-scale smuggling network that allegedly moved approximately 1,000 Iraqi migrants to Europe over several years.
According to the UK’s National Crime Agency, the group used yachts to transport migrants, primarily to Greece and Italy, with each vessel carrying between 60 and 70 people. From there, the migrants were reportedly moved onward to northern Europe or the United Kingdom.
The three arrested individuals—identified as a coordinator, a banker, and a middleman—are believed to have links to Amanj Hassan Zada, a smuggler based in Preston, Lancashire. Zada was sentenced to 17 years in prison in November 2024 after being convicted for facilitating illegal immigration. He gained attention by promoting his services on social media under the name Amanj Zaman, even sharing videos of migrants thanking him for their journeys.
Martin Clarke, an NCA branch commander who traveled to the region to oversee the operation, said the trade has deadly consequences. He noted that over 70 people died in 2024 while trying to cross the English Channel in small boats.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the operation as a major step in combating smuggling networks across Europe. She highlighted that the results came less than two months after the UK and Iraq signed a law enforcement cooperation agreement, which includes intelligence-sharing and additional funding for Iraq’s law enforcement capabilities.
The NCA is currently conducting about 70 active investigations into high-level organized immigration crime and human trafficking, targeting those at the top of the smuggling trade.