LONDON: A convicted people smuggler living in the English county of Leicestershire has been arrested and charged, the BBC reported on Thursday.
Twana Jamal Khdir, once described as the “godfather” of the French migrant camps, was charged with a set of immigration offenses.
The Iraqi Kurd previously served a prison sentence in France on charges of people smuggling.
The BBC revealed last month that he is living in the UK. He was arrested in a joint operation spearheaded by the Midlands Criminal Financial Investigations team and assisted by Leicestershire Police.
Khdir appeared at Leicester Magistrates’ Court after being charged by the Crown Prosecution Service.
He pleaded guilty to entering the UK without valid entry clearance, but not guilty to seeking to obtain leave to enter or remain by deceptive means. Khdir, who was remanded in custody, is set to appear at Leicester Crown Court on Oct. 5.
French authorities sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment in 2016. He was described as one of the most successful people smugglers ever caught in the country.
Aged 36 at the time, Khdir had earned up to $136,000 weekly while arranging the movement of immigrants across the English Channel to the UK.
