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Gangster dubbed ‘Godfather of traffickers’ ruled Calais Jungle and made £365k a month smuggling illegal migrants into UK

Iraqi Kurd crime lord Twana Jamal's evil empire was smashed by cops - ending the smuggler's reign as King of the Jungle

A GANGSTER dubbed the “Godfather of traffickers” was nailed making £364,500 a month smuggling migrants into the UK from France.

Crime lord Twana Jamal, 36, masterminded a cross-Channel operation that cops estimate netted £4million this year alone.

 Twana Jamal's smuggling ring has been smashed . . . he appears in court in France
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Twana Jamal's smuggling ring has been smashed . . . he appears in court in France

One revealed yesterday how the Iraqi Kurd, jailed in France yesterday, was king of the Calais Jungle camp.

The ex-weightlifter was also the “go-to” guy for getting to the UK from other camps along the French coast.

In just a few months he personally amassed more than £1million before his smuggling empire was smashed when fed-up migrants grassed on him.

 The Jungle, Calais . . . crime gang got camp's migrants to UK for £4,500
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The Jungle, Calais . . . crime gang got camp's migrants to UK for £4,500Credit: Getty Images

They were being charged £4,500 a time to be brought here by the lorryload at the rate of 80 a month. Last night Tory MP David Davies said: “It’s appalling this man has been able to do this and make such a vast amount of money.

“How many of these people who he facilitated entry to into the UK have been granted asylum? Are they now having benefits paid to them courtesy of British taxpayers?”

 

The smuggler’s reign was ended when tip-offs led to a dawn swoop at the Grand Synthe camp near Dunkirk where he was conducting his business.

Police across the Channel had already put him under surveillance and were tapping his phones.

One said: “He had at least five different aliases.”

Wire taps showed gang was very well organised

Last night UK detectives were racing to unravel his operation this side of the Channel and track down the rest of his gang so profits from his evil trade can be seized.

The fortune he made is feared to be the tip of the iceberg in a business worth £3.5billion a year.

A source said: “More than 12,000 new suspects were identified by Europol in the first eight months of this year alone.”

Jamal’s gang was just one of more than 200 the French have busted this year.

Three French cops were injured when he was arrested as migrants battled to stop him being hauled away.

He had boasted of being able to get anyone into the UK.

 Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk . . . tent city was another camp Jamal lorded over
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Grande-Synthe, Dunkirk . . . tent city was another camp Jamal lorded overCredit: News Group Newspapers Ltd

His loot is said to have been funnelled through criminal “bankers” in London’s Kurdish community.

He also laundered the dirty money by investing in car washes and restaurants and by buying flash cars. Migrants paid cash into Western Union accounts. It was collected by accomplices in London.

The Dunkirk court that jailed Jamal for five years heard migrants would be loaded on to trucks leaving French channel ports. Carbon dioxide detectors to pinpoint the breath of anyone hiding were foiled by cargos of onions and cheese emitting the same gas.

Prosecutor Amelie Le Sant confirmed: “This man was earning an awful lot of money. We believe in excess of £1million.

“We have passed on all the information we have in the case files to the authorities in London.

“Our hope is they can track down members of the gang over there.”

 Migrants paid cash into Western Union accounts . . . collected by accomplices
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Migrants paid cash into Western Union accounts . . . collected by accomplicesCredit: Getty Images

Jamal brazenly travelled to Britain on bogus passports for gang summits.

He is thought to have been plotting to claim asylum here himself and then retire on his fortune.

Ms Le Sant said: “Evidence was gathered using wire taps.

“It proved how he and his gang were very well organised. When he was arrested he was waiting for £70,000 from his bankers in England.”

Jamal was taken to court in handcuffs. He wept, claiming he was a victim of “mistaken identity”. Fellow Iraqi Pirout Kadir, who was also part of the gang, got four years.

He had so many aliases he wrote bogus names in his baseball cap to remind him which one he was using.

Both were told that they will be deported after serving their sentences. Boss Jamal was also fined £17,000. The Home Office branded the pair’s activities vile and said its immigration arm had helped smash 185 gangs in a year.

 Iraqi Kurd, jailed in France yesterday, was king of the Calais Jungle camp
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Iraqi Kurd, jailed in France yesterday, was king of the Calais Jungle campCredit: AP:Associated Press

A spokesman said: “The UK is committed to tackling the causes of illegal immigration including the callous crime groups that exploit vulnerable migrants.”

British observers sent to the Dunkirk court included one from the National Crime Agency.
Charles Elphicke, Tory MP for Dover and Deal, branded the case shocking.

He said: “It is vital the Government recovers this money and spends it on helping victims of modern slavery.”

Alp Mehmet, of MigrationWatch UK, said: “This just shows what a massive business illegal immigration into this country is. Until we take dealing with it more seriously and devote adequate resources to stopping those behind it, it will continue to grow.”

A French investigator on the case said: “It’s likely Jamal was one of the most successful people smugglers ever in terms of money he made.

 Mehmet, of Migrationwatch, said illegal immigration needs to be taken seriously
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Mehmet, of Migrationwatch, said illegal immigration needs to be taken seriously

“We haven’t been able to identify all the UK ‘bankers’ involved in the organisation. That’s why we hope British colleagues can locate them and try and recover the money.

“The figure of £1million Jamal made personally is just a starting point. It’s possible he made much more.

“If we hadn’t been tipped off by informers within the camp it’s more than likely he’d still be in business now — and making more money.”

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