Hewa Rahimpur: Gang leader who smuggled up to 10,000 migrants across Channel jailed

Published

2 years ago

October 18, 2023

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A man granted asylum in east London has been convicted of helping to lead a criminal gang that smuggled up to 10,000 people across the Channel.

Hewa Rahimpur, 30, was sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined €80,000 at a court in Bruges, Belgium.

He was convicted in one of the biggest people-smuggling trials held in Europe – with 20 out of 21 defendants found guilty.

He was arrested in London more than a year ago after a police operation that involved officers in Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as the UK’s National Crime Agency.

Rahimpur arrived in Britain after hiding on a lorry. He initially tried to set up a business as a barber but, after that failed, he instead opened a small food retailer, selling confectionery.

It appeared popular. In fact, many of the customers were actually coming to Rahimpur to pay for trips across the Channel using the Hawala banking system, which leaves almost no trail.

Investigators believe that Rahimpur and his gang charged up to £6,000 for those on the boats, making total profits that sometimes went above £200,000 per crossing.

His gang, in common with other people smugglers, used various social media outlets to find customers but also relied on word of mouth and recommendations from previous passengers.

Craig Turner, the deputy director of the UK’s National Crime Agency, described Rahimpur as “one of the most significant individuals involved in small boat crossings”.

His gang, in common with other people smugglers, used various social media outlets to find customers but also relied on word of mouth and recommendations from previous passengers.

Mr Turner said: “He treated people like a commodity. He just thought about the money, not the safety of the people he was taking across the Channel. That was the business model he profited from.

“He’s a big player. There will be people above him in the OCG [organised crime group] but within the rankings of that group, he is right up there.”

‘Big player’ convicted – but it won’t stop boat crossings

However, Mr Turner admitted that arresting and imprisoning Rahimpur would not stop, or potentially even slow down, the flow of migrants crossing the Channel.

“It’s like a game of Whac-A-Mole… once we take down one, another one pops up in his place,” he said.

“It’s like a vacuum. The thing with these smuggling gangs is that it’s dynamic. They are ever-evolving.”

The investigation found evidence of a sprawling criminal network that imported boats, motors, life jackets and other equipment from countries including China and Turkey.

The items were stored in various locations, but the fulcrum of their operations was the German town of Osnabruck.

A police raid there recovered a huge haul of equipment destined to be used in cross-Channel smuggling, as well as firearms and cash.

Rahimpur, who claimed asylum in Britain in 2016 after saying he was fleeing persecution in Iran, admitted to processing payments between migrants and smugglers but denied being a central figure, telling the court: “I am not a boss”.

However, Sky News can reveal that when he first arrived in Britain he lied about his identity and that he is in fact a well-known figure in the smuggling world.

Multiple sources have told us that he is in fact called Hama Khoshnaw and comes from the Iraqi city of Erbil, in the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Like many other Iraqi Kurds, he claimed to be Iranian in order to improve his chances of claiming asylum.

When we spoke to a people smuggler in Kurdistan, he recognised Rahimpur immediately from a photograph, telling me: “Yes, I know him – he’s from Erbil”.

Rahimpur has been held in custody in Belgium ever since his extradition from Britain in 2022. He complained about conditions in prison and, at one point, went on hunger strike to protest.

UK

Starmer urges anyone with information on Epstein case to come forward – after Andrew misses Congress deadline

Published

6 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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Deadline day for Andrew to respond to Epstein inquiry - but it's hard to imagine why he'd talk

Sir Keir Starmer has urged anyone with information on the Jeffrey Epstein case to come forward after Andrew Mountbatten Windsor missed the deadline to appear in front of US Congress.

US legislators have criticised Andrew for what they describe as “silence” amid their probe into Epstein after he failed to respond to their request for an interview.

When asked about Andrew missing the deadline and whether the former prince should help the case in any way he can, Sir Keir said on his way to the G20 summit in South Africa: “I don’t comment on this particular case.”

He added that “a general principle I’ve held for a very long time is that anybody who has got relevant information in relation to these kind of cases should give that evidence to those that need it”.

Andrew is not legally obliged to talk to Congress and has always vigorously denied any wrongdoing.

It comes as Marjorie Taylor Greene, a loyal supporter-turned-critic of US President Donald Trump, said on Friday she is resigning from Congress in January.

Ms Greene’s resignation followed a public falling-out with Mr Trump in recent months, as the congresswoman criticised him for his stance on files related to Epstein, as well as on foreign policy and healthcare.

Members of the House Oversight Committee had requested a “transcribed interview” with Andrew in connection with his “long-standing friendship” with Epstein, the paedophile financier who took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking and conspiracy charges.

But after saying they had not heard back, Democrats Robert Garcia and Suhas Subramanyam accused Andrew of hiding.

Their statement read: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s silence in the face of the Oversight Democrat’s demand for testimony speaks volumes.

“The documents we’ve reviewed, along with public records and Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s testimony, raise serious questions he must answer, yet he continues to hide.

“Our work will move forward with or without him, and we will hold anyone who was involved in these crimes accountable, no matter their wealth, status, or political party. We will get justice for the survivors.”

It follows Andrew being stripped of his prince and Duke of York titles earlier this month.

He had previously agreed to stop using his titles, but had expected to remain a prince and retain his dukedom, ahead of the publication of the memoirs of the late Ms Giuffre, who had accused him of sexually assaulting her when she was a teenager – an accusation he denies.

UK

Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

Published

6 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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Girl, 13, arrested on suspicion of murdering woman in Swindon

A 13-year-old girl has been arrested on suspicion of murdering a woman in Swindon.

Police said the teenager was detained following an incident in Baydon Close, Moredon, in the Wiltshire town on Friday evening.

Officers responded to reports of disorder inside a house. When they arrived, a woman in her 50s living at the address was found to be not breathing. She was declared dead at the scene.

There were no other reported injuries.

Detective Inspector Darren Ambrose, from Wiltshire Police’s major crime investigation team, said: “This is a serious incident in which a woman has sadly died.

“We have set up a cordon at the address while an investigation is carried out.

“I can confirm that we have arrested a teenage girl in connection with this incident and we are not looking for anyone else.”

Police have asked people not to speculate about the incident online as this could prejudice the case.

A police statement read: “Residents can expect to see an increased police presence in the area while we continue carrying out our enquiries into the woman’s death.

“The suspect remains in custody at this time.”

Police said anyone with concerns should speak with their local neighbourhood policing team, either by emailing or approaching officers in person.

UK

Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Published

6 hours ago

November 23, 2025

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Rail fares to be frozen for first time in 30 years

Rail fares are to be frozen for the first time in 30 years, the government has announced.

Ministers promised that millions of rail travellers will save hundreds of pounds on regulated fares, including season tickets and peak and off-peak returns between major cities.

The fare freeze applies to England and services run by English train operators.

People commuting to work three days a week using flexi-season tickets will save £315 a year travelling from Milton Keynes to London, £173 travelling from Woking to London and £57 from Bradford to Leeds, the government said.

The changes are part of Labour’s plans to rebuild a publicly owned Great British Railways. Other planned changes include tap in-tap out and digital ticketing, as well as investing in superfast Wi-Fi.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves said the government was introducing a freeze on rail fares for the first time in 30 years, which “will ease the pressure on household finances and make travelling to work, school or to visit friends and family that bit easier”.

“We all want to see cheaper rail travel, so we’re freezing fares to help millions of passengers save money,” Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said.

“Commuters on more expensive routes will save more than £300 per year, meaning they keep more of their hard-earned cash.”

Rail unions and passenger groups welcomed the move, praising how it will make travel more affordable for passengers and promote more sustainable travel alternatives.

Eddie Dempsey, general secretary of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union, said: “More affordable fares will encourage greater use of public transport, supporting jobs, giving a shot in the arm to local economies and helping to improve the environment.”

TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said the rail fare freeze “will be a huge relief to working people”.

“This is the right decision, at the right time, to help passengers be able to afford to make that journey they need to take, and to help grow our railway in this country, because the railway is Britain’s green alternative – taking cars and lorries off our congested roads and moving people and goods safely around our country in an environmentally-friendly way,” Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers union Aslef, said.

The Tories welcomed the move but said the government was “late to the platform”.

Shadow transport secretary Richard Holden said: “In government, the Conservatives kept fares on the right track with below-inflation rises and consistently called for no further hikes to protect hard-working commuters.”