A Hull man is among the members of a people smuggling gang facing jail after they were caught smuggling migrants into the UK. Their plot unravelled after Border Force officers discovered a Vietnamese woman crammed inside a car glovebox in June 2022.
A court heard the organised crime group concealed people in dangerous spaces of customised vehicles to take them across the Channel. They also made and distributed counterfeit identity documents enabling non-EU nationals to travel via plane into the UK from Europe.
It was described as a “sophisticated network”, with the gang working together to smuggle migrants into the UK between 2022 and 2024. The documents they used were believed to have been manufactured using a Greek forgery factory.
Five members of the UK-based group pleaded guilty to all charges brought against them – including Dlawar Omar, from Hull. The remaining three members were found guilty following a trial at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court.
They faced the following charges:
- Mukhlis Jamal Hamadamin, 43, of Brook Road, Stockport, pleaded guilty to four counts of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom, one count of conspiracy to make an article for use in a fraud and one count of possession of an identity document with improper intention.
- Muhamad Jamal Hamadamin, 27, of Brook Road, Stockport, pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud and one count of possessing an identity document with improper intention.
- Yassen Jalal Mohammed, 43, of Woodhouse Grove, Huddersfield, pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
- Dlawar Omar, 40, of Pendrill Street, Hull, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
- Emily Etherington, 37, of Guernsey Way, Kennington, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
- Redar Curtis, 30, of Guernsey Way, Kennington, was found guilty of one county to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
- Jozef Kadet Kadet, 25, of Constable Street, Manchester, was found guilty of one county to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
- Khales Akram Jabar, 44, of Barnaby Avenue, Middlesborough, was found guilty of one count to assist unlawful immigration to the United Kingdom.
They are all due to attend a hearing at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court on January 29.
How the plot unravelled
One woman was found crammed inside a glovebox
(Image: Home Office)
The gang’s activity was unearthed by an investigation launched by the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigation (CFI) teams in June 2022 when Jozef Balog, from Manchester, was stopped at the UK border upon his return from France. During a search of his vehicle, officers discovered a Vietnamese woman concealed in a cramped compartment concealed behind the dashboard. Balog pleaded guilty to assisting unlawful immigration and was sentenced to two and a half years in prison in January 2024.
A month later, in July 2022, Emily Etherington was stopped by Border Force officers after she was found to be concealing another woman in the dashboard of the vehicle. Etherington was arrested and upon further enquiries, investigators were able to identify her husband Redar Curtis was linked to the facilitation. Etherington pleaded guilty at a hearing on October 24, 2024 and Curtis stood trial.
After the three were linked, a wider investigation revealed a “sophisticated network” of gang members engaged in people smuggling and document forgery. The investigation saw seven search warrants executed at various locations across the UK, resulting in the seizure of counterfeit documents, over 20,000 illicit cigarettes, and £6,000 in cash.
Greece link to documents used by gang
On November 19, 2023 ommigration enforcement officers arrested Mukhlis Jamal Hamadamin, the principal suspect, at Manchester Airport. This arrest followed the interception of a parcel sent from Greece containing a false Greek driving licence, addressed to a property in Bolton, listing Mukhlis Jamal Hamadamin’s UK mobile number as the contact.
Upon seizing and examining Mukhlis Jamal Hamadamin’s phone, officers discovered hundreds of images of passports and boarding passes, messages detailing the creation and distribution of false documents, and videos believed to have been recorded inside a forgery factory in Greece.
‘No regard for human life’
The people smuggling gang concealed migrants inside dangerous spaces in customised vehicles
(Image: Home Office)
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “This case shows the ruthless tactics of criminal gangs who smuggle people through Europe and into the UK. They have no regard for human life and exploit vulnerable individuals solely for profit, putting them in incredibly dangerous situations.
“Our investigators have worked tirelessly to track down this gang, gather critical evidence and bring them to justice. Our investigators’ efforts mean that this gang’s operations have been dismantled, their profits slashed, and we are delivering on this government’s Plan for Change: to protect our borders, disrupt people-smuggling networks, and end the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
“Our new Border Security Command, supported by £150 million in funding, is vital to this mission. It allows us to target these networks wherever they operate, undermine their profits, break their business models—all while reinforcing the security of our borders.”
Home Office Immigration Enforcement, Chief Immigration Officer Paul Moran said: “Today’s convictions are the result of a complex investigation into organised crime that stretched across Europe and took over two years of hard work by our Criminal and Financial Investigation teams in Dover and Manchester. Our team worked closely with the Spanish National Police, Greek Police, and Irish Garda Síochána to break up this criminal group, which was illegally smuggling non-EU nationals into the UK.
“This group put profit ahead of people’s safety, facilitating them through dangerous methods in vehicles and by air, showing no concern for the well-being of those they smuggled. We are committed to stopping dangerous criminal networks and protecting our borders.
“If you have any information about immigration crime, you can report it anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. By working together, we can disrupt these gangs and help keep people safe.”