A Birmingham-based people smuggler who boasted of making over £1.5million through his criminal networks is facing jail after being caught by the National Crime Agency.
Pistiwan Jameel, 54, acted as a broker for smuggling gangs in France, arranging spaces on small boats for migrants attempting to cross the Channel.
The Iraqi-born British national, who came to the UK in 2002, was suspected of being behind dozens of cross-Channel small boat crossings.
Investigators found evidence of his involvement in the illegal movement of migrants after surveillance operations caught him collecting payments in the UK.
In recorded conversations with criminal associates, Jameel complained that competition in the people smuggling market was driving prices down, even as he claimed to have earned at least two million US dollars (£1.57million) through his contacts.
NCA surveillance officers recorded Jameel arranging crossings for his customers, during which he referred to migrants as ‘pigeons’ or ‘sticks’.
Pistiwan Jameel (left) is facing jail along Artan Halilaj (middle) and Artan Halilaj (right)
NCA
His phone contained evidence relating to up to 50 people who had entered the UK illegally on small boats during 2022 and 2023.
The evidence included images taken on boats in the Channel, demonstrating his direct involvement in the smuggling operations.
In one conversation, investigators discovered Jameel was expecting to earn around £7,800 for helping move a migrant from the Middle East to Turkey.
The British national maintained contacts with people smuggling gangs based in France, acting as a crucial link between the criminal networks and those seeking illegal passage to the UK.
His role involved brokering spaces on boats and collecting payments from clients in Britain.
NCA surveillance captured Jameel meeting Albanian national Artan Halilaj, 39, in Birmingham on September 1 last year, where a cash handover took place.
NCA surveillance captured Jameel meeting Artan Halilaj in Birmingham on September 1 last year
NCA
Artan Halilaj, who had previously arrived by small boat from Belgium, was arranging passage for his relative Fiorentino Halilaj, 25.
Fiorentino crossed the Channel the following day, with investigators later finding Jameel’s contact details on his phone.
The NCA arrested Artan and Jameel last October, with Fiorentino detained at an immigration centre shortly after.
Both Jameel and Fiorentino Halilaj pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration.
Artan Halilaj denied involvement but was convicted following a week-long trial at Birmingham Crown Court.
All three men remain in custody and will be sentenced next month.
NCA Branch Operations Manager Paul Jones said: “It is clear from the evidence we were able to gather over the course of our investigation that Pistiwan Jameel was a prolific UK-based broker for people smuggling gangs in France.”
“The true number of crossings that Jameel facilitated will never be known but the evidence indicates that he has been assisting in the movement of migrants illegally into the UK for a considerable amount of time.”
He added: “People smugglers like him don’t care about the safety and security of those they transport, and he was quite happy to put people in life-threatening situations on the sea in flimsy dinghies just so he could make money.”
“This is why tackling the gangs involved in organised immigration crime remains a priority for the NCA, and we will do all we can to disrupt and dismantle them.”
The investigation was supported by Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations and Border Force.