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A man who played a leading role in smuggling thousands of migrants into Europe has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Some of the people he helped transport eventually made it to the UK, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The man, identified as Ebid, operated the smuggling network from his home in Isleworth, southwest London. Secret recordings captured by the NCA revealed him telling an associate to kill any migrants caught with phones and dispose of their bodies at sea to avoid detection.
Ebid is believed to be the first individual in the UK convicted of organizing Mediterranean boat crossings. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and was sentenced at Southwark Crown Court.
Judge Adam Hiddleston described Ebid as having a "significant managerial role" in a well-organized criminal enterprise driven by profit. The court heard that the operation generated millions of pounds by exploiting desperate migrants. Each individual was charged about £3,200, totaling an estimated £12.3 million across several crossings.
The NCA said Ebid had previously been sentenced to over six years in Italy for drug smuggling. After arriving in the UK via a small boat in October 2022, he began coordinating smuggling routes across the Mediterranean from Libya, using Facebook to advertise the crossings.
Ebid arranged boats and crews, provided technical guidance, handled documentation, and helped house the migrants. He was linked to at least seven crossings, transporting around 3,781 people into Italian waters on overcrowded, unsafe vessels.
One incident involved more than 640 migrants rescued by Italian authorities in October 2022, and other crossings saw boats carrying over 600 people each. Ebid was arrested in June 2023 in a joint operation by the NCA and Italian authorities.
NCA Regional Head of Investigations Jacque Beer said, “Ebid was part of a ruthless criminal network that exploited vulnerable migrants and put their lives at serious risk. His disregard for human life was made clear when he suggested throwing non-compliant migrants into the sea.”
