BBC finds convicted people smuggler living in UK village

A people smuggler BBC News traced to Leicestershire is Twana Jamal, convicted in France in 2016 and once called the godfather of Calais migrant camps. Reporters found him working illegally at Blaby mini-marts while seeking asylum under a false name. The case has triggered deportation calls and scrutiny of post-Brexit criminal record checks.

Key Takeaways

• Twana Jamal received a five-year French jail term in 2016 for people smuggling from Grand Synthe near Dunkirk.
• The BBC traced him to Blaby, where he reportedly works at two Candy Corner mini-marts under the alias Sultan.
• Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp says he should be arrested and deported immediately.
• European law enforcement sources told the BBC at least 15 other convicted smugglers may be in Britain under false names.
• Downing Street said it shares the public shock and is urgently establishing the facts.

Who is Twana Jamal and what did the BBC find?

According to a BBC News investigation published on 2 July 2026, Twana Jamal was jailed for five years in France in 2016. Authorities described him as one of the most successful people smugglers they had ever caught.

Prosecutors said the Iraqi Kurd, then 36, earned up to £100,000 a week moving migrants across the Channel. From about 2012 until 2016, he operated from the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk, charging £4,500 to £5,000 per crossing in freight lorries.

Following a tip-off this year, BBC reporters traced Jamal to Blaby, a village of roughly 6,000 people on Leicester's outskirts. They witnessed him working, driving without a licence and using what appeared to be a false name.

Why is a convicted smuggler running shops in a Leicestershire village?

Jamal was linked to the Ranya Boys, Kurdish gangs that European agencies say have dominated Channel smuggling for more than 15 years. When confronted, he introduced himself as Sultan and denied any smuggling history, though a hand tattoo matched images on social media where he calls himself Sultan Pasha.

Reporters found two Candy Corner mini-marts on opposite sides of Blaby's high street. One sits next to a local Conservative constituency office. Jamal told the BBC he had applied for asylum and was still waiting, while boasting that Leicester was ours.

The case lands awkwardly on a quiet English high street—the kind of village setting often featured in Luxury Real Estate and Dream Homes coverage of market towns and commuter communities.

What are UK politicians demanding?

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the man should be arrested for illegal working and any asylum claim rendered null and void. He argued a Conservative government would deport him, though human rights claims could complicate removal.

A Downing Street spokesperson said the government shares the public's shock and is working urgently to establish facts. Skills minister Jacqui Smith said the Home Office had contacted the BBC and wants evidence to take action.

How could overseas convictions be missed?

Immigration officers told the BBC that since Brexit, checking criminal records from some EU countries has become harder. Lucy Morton of the Immigration Services Union said shared databases with France, Germany and Belgium would flag overseas smuggling convictions.

Asylum seekers are fingerprinted and checked against UK police databases, but foreign convictions may not appear. The Home Office insists all claimants face mandatory security checks and that immigration enforcement is at its highest level in history, with illegal working arrests up 83%.

Law enforcement sources told the BBC they know of 15 other convicted smugglers from France, Germany and Belgium believed to be living in the UK under false names. Jamal's exposure formed part of a wider BBC probe that also led to the arrest of smuggler Kardo Jaf, detailed in the Radio 4 podcast To Catch A King.