Suspected People Smuggling Boss Arrested in Birmingham in Joint NCA and Police Operation
A suspected ringleader of an organized crime group involved in people smuggling has been arrested in Birmingham following a major joint investigation between the National Crime Agency (NCA) and West Midlands Police.
Zahid Khan, 51, was detained by officers on Tuesday, February 10, during a dawn raid at a residential address in the Sheldon Heath Road area of the city. Following his arrest, he was taken into custody for questioning by NCA investigators and has subsequently been charged with multiple counts of facilitating illegal immigration and money laundering offenses.
The operation marks a significant step in an ongoing probe into a criminal network suspected of smuggling migrants both into and out of the United Kingdom using heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). Investigators allege the network was transporting individuals in the back of lorries in both directions across the English Channel, treating human lives as commodities to be traded for profit.
The arrest in Birmingham follows a critical breakthrough in the investigation earlier this month. On February 4, NCA officers intercepted a lorry at the port of Dover just as it was preparing to board a ferry bound for France. Inside the vehicle, authorities discovered 33 migrants of Indian, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi nationality specifically hidden within the cargo area. The driver of the lorry was arrested at the scene, prompting further inquiries that led investigators to the West Midlands.
During the raid on Tuesday, a second man, aged 44, was also arrested at the same Sheldon Heath Road location on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. While he has been released on bail regarding the immigration offenses pending further enquiries, he remains in custody after checks revealed he was wanted for failing to appear at court in relation to separate, unconnected charges.
NCA Branch Operations Manager Paul Jones emphasized the severity of the alleged crimes and the agency’s commitment to dismantling such networks.
“These arrests were made as part of an ongoing investigation into a people smuggling network suspected of using HGVs to transport migrants in both directions across the Channel,” Jones said. “This activity both risks the safety of those being transported and presents a threat to our border security. Targeting, disrupting, and dismantling gangs involved in organized immigration crime remains a priority for the NCA and our partners.”
The use of lorries for smuggling remains a high-risk method often employed by organized crime groups, exposing migrants to dangerous conditions including suffocation and extreme temperatures. The interception at Dover highlights the continued vigilance of border force and law enforcement agencies in monitoring freight traffic leaving the UK, as well as entering it.
Khan is scheduled to appear before Birmingham Magistrates’ Court today, Thursday, February 12, to face the charges brought against him. The investigation continues as authorities work to identify further associates linked to the suspected smuggling ring.
* nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
* express.co.uk
* nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
* etvbharat.com
* theweek.in
* birminghammail.co.uk
* ptinews.com
* police.community
* nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk
