People Smugglers Jailed for Flying Migrants into UK on Dawn Missions
Two men have been slapped behind bars after using light aircraft and secret van compartments to smuggle desperate migrants into the UK for a staggering £12,000 each.
£12K Per Head for Secret Flights and Hidden Compartments
Mohammed, 32, ran the racket from his Symonds Yat home, teaming up with Billy Hems, a Birmingham pilot aged 24. Hems dropped migrants at remote UK airfields during pre-dawn hours, before hiding them in vans fitted with secret compartments for sneaky cross-country runs.
In one thrilling sting operation, police caught Mohammed red-handed on 17 October 2019, just as seven Kurdish migrants—including a child—were being smuggled en route to Ghent, Belgium. But their channel-crossing plans were crushed by law enforcement lying in wait, coordinating with Belgian authorities to bust the van.
How the Gang Got Caught
- The $12,000-a-head smuggling scheme unraveled after the West Midlands Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) teamed up with the Home Office’s Immigration Criminal & Financial Investigation squad.
- In September 2018, French police stopped a VW van near Dunkirk carrying three migrants. The driver and passenger—both Brits—got jail time in France. A phone found linked them to Mohammed’s car wash business.
- Flight data exposed Hems’s suspicious trips between the UK and Amiens, France, landing at rural airfields.
- Phone pings placed Mohammed close to the landing strips during these flights.
- Three migrants were also found in a specially built van hideout stopped by UK Border Force in France in April 2019.
Justice Served – Prison Time for Smugglers
At Worcester Crown Court on 5 November:
- Mohammed was jailed for seven and a half years, also admitting drug supply charges.
- Hems received two and a half years behind bars.
“Mohammed and Hems were making big money on the plight and desperation of migrants while we also believe some were being put to work as cheap labour at Mohammed’s hand car wash,” said Detective Inspector Julie Woods from West Midlands ROCU.
Justice Minister Tom Pursglove slammed the smugglers. “They showed blatant disregard for UK laws and have rightly paid the price. We’re cracking down on these despicable gangs profiting from dangerous journeys. Our New Plan for Immigration will smash smuggling networks and help save lives.”
