Major people smuggling gang busted for trafficking migrants from UK to France in lorry trailers after a National Crime Agency (NCA) probe.
12 Convicted in High-Stakes Migrant Smuggling Ring
The NCA has cracked down on a ruthless smuggling gang led by Azize Benaniba. The network operated across London, Kent, and Dover, targeting mainly North African migrants. Many had entered the UK legally with tourist visas before being stuffed into lorries bound for France.
Shocking £1,200 Fees Charged, Including Children
Smugglers demanded up to £1,200 per trip, cramming migrants—some as young as five—into sealed refrigerated and unrefrigerated trailers. The gang made over 20 attempts between February and October 2023, using ferry routes to France.
Terrifying footage seized from a migrant’s phone shows desperate passengers screaming for help inside a sealed trailer, highlighting the deadly risks involved.
“These smugglers had no care for the safety or wellbeing of the people they crammed into lorry trailers,” said John Turner, senior NCA investigator. “Their only concern was making money.”
Coordinated Arrests and Sentences
Three gang members were convicted on 16 June after a six-week trial at Isleworth Crown Court. Others pleaded guilty before the trial began. The gang’s ringleaders were arrested in March 2024 across North London.
- Azize Benaniba, 41 – pleaded guilty
- Abed Karrouz, 30 – pleaded guilty
- Mahmoud Haidous, 52 – found guilty
- Mohamed Bouriche, 43 – found guilty
- Amor Ghabbari, 32 – found guilty
- Mohamed Abdelhadi, 50 – pleaded guilty
Evidence included harrowing videos of migrants banging on trailer walls, pleading for help.
Harrowing Incident: 39 Migrants Found in Refrigerated Trailer
On 6 September 2023, NCA officers found 39 migrants, including children, crammed inside a sealed refrigerated trailer in Sandwich, Kent. Several needed medical treatment after being rescued. The group was intercepted en route to the Dover border.
“This investigation has safeguarded hundreds of vulnerable individuals,” said Turner. “We will continue working with partners to dismantle similar networks wherever they appear.”