Hull man jailed over migrant smuggling plot

Nzar Jabar Mohamad was placed under surveillance after claiming asylum in the UK in 2019

A man who admitted conspiring to smuggle migrants to the UK in small boats has been jailed for 10 years.

Nzar Jabar Mohamad, 34, was placed under surveillance when he claimed asylum in 2019 after arriving in the UK hidden a lorry.

Bugging devices in his home in Hull picked up phone conversations where he arranged to ship people across the Channel in dinghies.

Hull Crown Court was told he was heard boasting about the money he was making.

Prosecutor Paul Mitchell said that in the intercepted phone conversations, Mohamad claimed to have worked as a people smuggler when he lived in France, saying: "I earned quite a lot over there."

Mr Mitchell said Mohamad continued his people smuggling operation in the UK.

He was heard talking to criminal associates across Europe and had arranged to buy a dinghy in the Netherlands for £6,500.

'Motivated by greed'

Mohamad was arrested by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers at his home in Waterloo Street, Hull, in November 2019.

He was in the process of arranging an attempt to smuggle up to 21 people across the Channel in a small boat, charging each person £10,000, the NCA said.

In April this year, Mohamad pleaded guilty at Hull Crown Court to conspiracy to help asylum seekers enter the UK.

Passing sentence, Judge John Thackray QC said Mohamad was "motivated by greed" and he showed "no regard for the welfare of others".

"The risk of harm was enormous, even if the actual harm was limited because of your detection by the authorities, trying to navigate probably the world's busiest shipping lane in wholly inadequate small inflatable boats," Mr Thackray said.

He added: "In my judgment, there are fewer crimes more serious than this."

Martin Clarke, from the NCA said: "Heartless criminals like Mohamad prey on the desperation of migrants seeking to cross the channel.

"The primary motivation of these individuals is financial gain and they could not care less about the welfare of those on small boats or in the back of lorries," he added.