Smuggler who called migrants 'chickens' jailed

A people smuggler who referred to migrants as "chickens" has been jailed for just over 10 years for his role in arranging illegal crossings to the UK.

Ramal Briem worked with other gang members to transport people, including six who were brought to Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire in the back of a lorry in March 2024.

The 33-year-old Iraqi national came to the UK illegally by small boat in 2020, after which he claimed asylum. He got involved in the people smuggling network following financial struggles, the National Crime Agency said.

Briem pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration at Wolverhampton Crown Court in October 2024.

Sentencing him earlier at Worcester Crown Court, Judge Andrew Lockhart KC suggested that Briem, who had been living in Wolverhampton, should be deported after his sentence was complete.

The judge said it was hard to imagine "a more serious example of a people trafficker".

"You were part of an organised crime group bringing significant numbers of immigrants from across the globe," he said.

"Victims found themselves threatened, abused and placed at huge risk…you and the people you work with would prey on them."

The main evidence for the case came from seized mobile phones, with messages between Briem and another gang member known as "Kevin".

They discussed the movement of people they referred to as "chickens" waiting for illegal crossings in northern France.

In one exhange they discussed "chickens" as costing £1,500 and how Kevin had "30 chickens in Dunkerque".

In another chat Briem said if he received "20 chickens, two of them were free".

Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard told the court that Briem also used a boat emoji in the messages.

"Kevin" was one of four crime group members arrested by the National Crime Agency and is undergoing extradition proceedings as he is wanted in France. The other three were charged in the UK.

Briem claimed that "Kevin" had showed an interest in how he came to the UK as he wanted to bring some relatives over from Germany.

The court heard that Briem admitted collecting £16,000 from "Kevin" but claimed it was money for cigarettes, not people.

Orchard told the court the plot was to bring Vietnamese nationals to the UK from Romania and move them into Home Office-managed migrant hotels. They would then blend into the local Vietnamese community.

The gang was paid by the migrants themselves, but a share of proceeds would go to other organised crime groups, Orchard said.

Staffordshire Police, who dealt with the incident in Burton, arrested one person but six men fled from the back of the lorry, which was registered in the Netherlands, the court heard.

It was possible the lorry driver was also a migrant and may have fled, the prosecution said.

Briem was arrested at his home address in Wolverhampton in July 2024.

Property searches at Trinity Court on Crawford Road, Wolverhampton, showed Briem had been in touch with others involved in transporting illegal migrants.

A ledger found by police contained details of around 1,000 Vietnamese nationals.

Around 250 had thousands of pounds by their names.

Investigations showed that Briem's phone contacted a French number, which was previously located in France.

That same number attempted to contact Briem when the Netherlands-registered lorry involved in the Staffordshire incident was intercepted.

NCA senior investigating officer Saju Sasikumar said: "The language Ramal Briem used to describe people illustrates his complete disregard for human life.

"To him, migrants were nothing more than a commodity to trade in," he added.

Sasikumar said while the migrants may have wanted to come to the UK establish a better life, the fact they chose smugglers like Briem put them "at far greater risk".

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said the government was "cracking down on the vile smugglers abusing UK borders".

"This government is bolstering law enforcement powers so officers can intercept, detain and arrest people smugglers faster and restore order and control to our borders."

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.