Mastermind Jailed for £287k Migrant Smuggling Ring
Madjid Belabes, 53, a jobless man, has been locked up for masterminding a brazen migrant smuggling racket. He recruited five taxi drivers to shuttle migrants from London to Kent lay-bys and service stations. There, the migrants were packed into lorries headed for France. The gang raked in a staggering £287,000, charging £1,200 per person.
58 Migrants Secretly Crossed Channel in Lorries
In a shocking February 2023 bust, 58 migrants from Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria made it into France before authorities caught them. All had legally entered the UK on visitor visas. Belabes exploited this loophole to smuggle them illegally across the Channel in freight lorries.
Taxi Drivers Guilty, Sentencing Looms
- Four cabbies admitted their part in the smuggling ring.
- The fifth, Said Bouazza, was found guilty by jury.
- All face sentencing on 23 January 2026.
Ringleader Slams Doors Shut on Freedom
Belabes pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. He was sentenced to a whopping 10 years and nine months in prison. He also got 18 months concurrently for holding criminal cash (£11,045). The drivers await sentences under the serious Serious Crime Act 2015.
All six men involved are Algerian nationals.
