Two crooks behind a sneaky migrant smuggling ring have been nailed by the National Crime Agency. Vietnamese national Duc Quang Ta, 36, from Reading, and Londoner Sarfaraz Sardarzehi, 58, were caught after raids in September 2020 uncovered migrants stuffed in cars and lorries.
Migrants Hidden In Lorries, Rushed Away From Borders
The dodgy duo worked with a crime gang that ferried Vietnamese migrants into the UK hidden in lorries crossing via ferries or the Channel Tunnel. Once ashore, the migrants were swiftly driven away from the south coast to dodge Border Force patrols.
Ta played the big organiser role and was involved in at least 16 smuggling attempts over just a few weeks in 2020. Sardarzehi acted as a ‘taxi driver,’ moving migrants and cash once they made it to the UK.
Encrypted Slang To Outsmart Police
The gang used encrypted chat apps and coded slang to cover their tracks. Migrants were “siblings,” “chicken,” or “pork.” Police were “dogs,” refrigerated trucks called “fridges,” ferries were “water,” cash was “paper,” and vehicles referred to as “horses.”
On 3 September 2020, Ta was arrested on the M25 with over £56,000 in cash hidden in a plastic bag in a BMW X5. Police found messages on his phone showing he was en route to pay co-conspirators in Kent for smuggling migrants in an HGV.
Network Spans Europe to the Midlands
The very next day, Sardarzehi was stopped in Birmingham with migrants in his Vauxhall Corsa. He first claimed it was a lie, but later admitted he knew they were illegal immigrants. He was arrested again in June 2022.
Investigations revealed a sprawling criminal network spanning from Europe through South East England and the Midlands. Migrants paid hefty sums and were housed in safe houses, mostly in Belgium, before getting lorry spots into the UK.
Convicted and Facing Sentence
Ta and Sardarzehi have been found guilty of people smuggling and money laundering at Birmingham Crown Court after a three-week trial. They’ve been bailed and will be sentenced on 10 July.
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