Convicted people smuggler found in UK seeking asylum, BBC finds

A BBC investigation has located Twana Jamal, a people smuggler convicted in France and once dubbed the godfather of French migrant camps, living in Blaby, Leicestershire, while seeking UK asylum. Reporters say he is working illegally under a false name, spotlighting gaps in how people smugglers BBC probes tie to post-Brexit criminal-record checks.

The story, published on 2 July 2026, has renewed scrutiny of Britain's asylum system and its ability to screen applicants with serious convictions abroad.

Key Takeaways

• Twana Jamal received a five-year French prison sentence in 2016 for cross-Channel people smuggling from the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk.
• The BBC traced him to Blaby, Leicestershire, where he was seen staffing a mini-mart, driving without a licence and using the alias "Sultan".
• European law enforcement told the BBC at least 15 convicted smugglers from France, Germany and Belgium may now live in the UK under false names.
• Since Brexit, checking EU criminal records has become harder, though the Home Office insists mandatory security checks remain in place.
• UK rules normally require refusal of asylum claims from anyone jailed overseas for a year or more.

Who did the BBC find living in Leicestershire?

According to the BBC investigation, Twana Jamal was sentenced to five years in France in 2016. Prosecutors said that from about 2012 until his arrest, he ran smuggling operations from the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk, charging migrants roughly £4,500 to £5,000 to reach the UK in freight lorries.

French authorities described him as one of the most successful people smugglers they had ever caught. He was linked to the Ranya Boys, a Kurdish gang active in Channel crossings during the 2010s.

Following a tip-off this year, BBC reporters traced Jamal to Blaby, a village of about 6,000 on Leicester's outskirts. They witnessed him working behind the till at a mini-mart and driving without a licence.

Blaby's high street sits far from the show homes in Luxury Real Estate & Dream Homes coverage, yet the case shows how quiet English villages can surface in national security debates.

What did Jamal say when confronted?

Undercover, reporters found Jamal introducing himself as "Sultan", matching tattoos on social media accounts where he uses the name Sultan Pasha. When challenged, he said he had applied for asylum and was "still waiting".

He denied smuggling people or serving time in France, and claimed he had been in the UK since 2009. Shown a 2016 courtroom photograph, he did not deny it was him, replying: "I don't care."

Jamal also denied working at the shop where reporters had seen him on the till. In a separate call, he boasted that in Leicester, "this city is ours," and suggested he was untroubled by police attention.

Why are EU convictions hard to spot after Brexit?

The BBC reports Jamal's case is not isolated. Law enforcement officials in mainland Europe told investigators they know of 15 people smugglers with convictions in France, Germany and Belgium who they believe now live in Britain claiming asylum under false names.

The Times and Telegraph both highlight that the BBC believes more than 20 active people smugglers may be in the UK. Examples cited include a man convicted in France selling used cars in Manchester and another in Blackpool who claimed asylum under a false name.

Since the UK left the EU, it no longer shares certain criminal databases with European neighbours. Lucy Morton of the Immigration Services Union told the BBC that without closer data-sharing, overseas smuggling convictions may not appear when claimants are checked against UK police records.

What has the Home Office said?

UK immigration rules normally require mandatory refusal of asylum for anyone imprisoned abroad for at least one year. Jamal's pending claim has raised direct questions about how his application progressed.

A Home Office spokesperson told the BBC that all asylum claimants face mandatory security checks for immigration, security and criminality purposes. The department added that Britain maintains agreements to share criminal-record information and that immigration enforcement is at its highest level on record, with illegal-working arrests up 83%.