Hunt for ‘Scorpion’ who tried to smuggle more than a HUNDRED migrants into Britain: Human trafficker on the run after he received ten-year sentence in his absence
- Barzan is on the run after he masterminded an attempted people smuggling plot
- He tried to smuggle 100 migrants into Britain with help of accomplices
- The 36-year-old was sentenced to 10 years in jail at court in Bruges last month
- Anyone with information about Majeed’s whereabouts can contact the NCA control centre on 0370 496 7622
Barzan Kamal Majeed, 36, pictured, nicknamed ‘Scorpion’, is on the run and received a 10-year jail sentence for people smuggling in his absence at a court in Bruges last month
Police are hunting a human trafficker who masterminded an organised crime group which tried to smuggle more than a hundred migrants into Britain.
Barzan Kamal Majeed, 36, nicknamed ‘Scorpion’, is on the run.
He received a 10-year jail sentence for people smuggling in his absence at a court in Bruges last month.
Majeed, originally from Nottingham, was also handed a 968,000 Euro (£849,000) fine.
The 36-year-old was head of an organised crime group that tried to smuggle the migrants to the UK in small boats and lorries.
Investigators from the National Crime Agency (NCA) are working with officers in Belgium to track Majeed down and have issued a warrant for his arrest.
The 36-year-old was head of an organised crime group that tried to smuggle more than 100 migrants to the UK in small boats and lorries. Pictured: Migrants sail on a smuggler’s boat near Dunkirk (file image)
The investigation into the organised crime group was launched involving NCA, Belgian, Dutch and French law enforcement.
Their probe looked into the 31 attempts the groups made to smuggle migrants to the UK between July 2018 and November 2019 and identified ‘Scorpion’ as the ring leader.
The criminal moved to the UK in 2013, living in Nottingham, where he still has connections.
In 2015, he was deported to the Kurdistan region of Northern Iraq.
Last year, Nzar Jabar Mohamad, 35, another accomplice, was convicted. He was jailed at Hull Crown Court in October 2021.
He pleaded guilty to the attempted people smuggling plot which also included hundreds of women.
The Belgian court also gave Mohamad an additional two-year sentence and fined him 272,000 Euros.
This year, Belgian authorities have charged another 23 people for their role in the organised crime group.
Three of those were arrested in the UK and extradited to Belgium. Of those, 17 were convicted and jailed for 32 years in total during the same hearing as Majeed’s.
Six were handed suspended prison sentences.
This year, Belgian authorities have charged another 23 people for their role in the organised crime group. Pictured: Migrants near Dunkirk (file image)
NCA Branch Commander Martin Clarke said: ‘These convictions represent the destruction of the UK and international arms of this organised crime group, which preyed on the desperation of migrants seeking to cross the channel.
‘The information we gathered following Mohamad’s arrest was crucial to the success of the Belgian investigation.
‘It shows that organised immigration crime networks usually cross international boundaries, meaning international cooperation is essential to tackling them.
‘I would appeal to anyone, anywhere, who has information about where Barzan Kamal Majeed might be to contact us or the Belgian authorities immediately.
‘Although he was sentenced in his absence, true justice will only be achieved when he is back on Belgian soil to serve his jail term.’
Anyone with information about Majeed’s whereabouts can contact the NCA control centre on 0370 496 7622.
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