A key player in a people smuggling ring that helped migrants cross illegally to the UK has been locked up for more than 10 years.
Iraqi Smuggler Nabbed in Wolverhampton
National Crime Agency officers arrested Ramal Briem, 33, at his Wolverhampton home in July 2024. The Iraqi national played a central role in ferrying six migrants to Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, just months earlier in March.
From Asylum Seeker to Smuggler
Briem admitted he initially came to the UK illegally by small boat in late 2020. After claiming asylum, financial struggles pushed him into the shady world of people trafficking.
Cash Collection and Guilty Plea
He confessed to visiting addresses in Croydon and Birmingham to collect large cash sums. These payments were handed over to an unknown man in a car, part of the smuggling operation.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court in October 2024, Briem pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Today (26 March), Worcester Crown Court sentenced him to 10 years and two months behind bars.
