People Smuggling Ringleader Jailed for 25 Years After Mediterranean Crossings

Migrants were charged up to £3,200 each for the perilous journey, fuelling a people smuggling operation estimated to have netted over £12 million.

Migrants hang from a boat as they wait to be rescued as they drift in the Mediterranean Sea some 20 nautical miles north off the coast of Libya on Oct. 3, 2016. Aris Messinis/AFP/Getty Images

The first person in Britain to be convicted of smuggling people across the Mediterranean has been sentenced to 25 years in prison.

Ahmed Ebid, 42, originally from Egypt and living in Isleworth, London was found to be a key organiser in a criminal network that moved around 4,000 people from Libya to Italy between 2022 and 2023.

He was arrested in Hounslow in June last year after a joint investigation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Italian authorities.

Judge Adam Hiddleston told Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday that Ebid was involved in a conspiracy that “generated millions of pounds” and that he must have benefited from “a significant amount” of the proceeds.

He described the sums involved as “truly staggering” and said the money came from the “hard-earned savings of desperate individuals” who were “ruthlessly and cynically exploited” by Ebid and the wider criminal group.

Dangerous Crossings, Deadly Outcomes

The NCA linked Ebid to at least seven separate crossings over a two-year period, with individual boats carrying hundreds of migrants at a time.

In one case, in October 2022, more than 640 people were rescued by Italian authorities from a wooden boat launched from Libya.

Two bodies were recovered from that vessel.

Another boat intercepted in December 2022 had departed from Benghazi carrying 265 migrants, while in April 2023, two further vessels carrying over 600 people each were found adrift in the Mediterranean.

The scale and frequency of these journeys were underpinned by a ruthless business model.

Migrants were typically charged around £3,200 each for the dangerous passage, a trade estimated to have generated more than £12 million for the criminals involved.

“Ebid was part of a crime network who preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats,” said the NCA regional head of investigation, Jacque Beer.

Surveillance, Seized Phones, a Threatening Warning

Ebid’s role came under scrutiny through extensive surveillance and digital evidence.

The NCA recovered messages, videos, and financial records from a phone seized during his arrest, including conversations about purchasing vessels and footage of migrant crossings.

In a call intercepted by officers, Ebid instructed an associate to threaten passengers against carrying mobile phones, a measure aimed at evading detection by authorities.

“Tell them guys anyone caught with a phone will be killed, threw in the sea,” he was heard saying.

The judge described Ebid’s treatment of the migrants as “horrifying,” telling the court that he had referred to them as “cartons.”

“The important thing to you was that each paid up the exorbitant fare that was charged for their crossing and that nobody did anything to compromise your operation such as by carrying a mobile phone. As we know, if they did, you were prepared to instruct others to threaten them with death.

“You demonstrated no empathy or care whatsoever for these desperate and vulnerable men, women and children,” Hiddleston said.

Government Reacts

The conviction was welcomed by minister for border security and asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, who linked the case to the government’s broader efforts to strengthen UK border defences.

“For too long our borders have been undermined by vile people smuggling gangs putting lives at risk for cash,” she said.

Eagle also stressed the government’s commitment to stop people smuggling gangs and restore control over UK’s borders.

The Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, currently making its way through Parliament, includes a new offence for endangering another life during a sea crossing to the UK, with a five-year jail term sentence.

Under the bill, people selling and handling boat parts suspected of being used in migrant Channel crossings could face up to 14 years in prison.

Last year, the government launched Border Security Command, a multi-agency unit coordinating efforts among Immigration Enforcement, MI5, Border Force, and the NCA.

A sanctions regime targeting individuals and entities involved in people smuggling includes asset freezes and travel bans, aiming to disrupt the financial networks supporting smuggling operations.

Despite these initiatives, illegal Channel crossings have reached record levels this year, with over 12,000 arrivals reported.

PA Media contributed to this report.