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, was also deported after his sentencing 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 (OCG) 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.
Briem said in one exchange that 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.
This breaking news story is being updated.
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Related internet links
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Thermo Fisher wins contracts as pharma shifts production to US, CEO says - 2'No middle ground' for tackling antisemitism after Bondi Beach mass shooting, deputy FM Haskel says
- 3The Benefits of Rehearsing Careful Nurturing
- 4How to sound like an astronaut as you follow the first human moon mission in more than half a century
- 5IDF says up to 90% of Iran’s weapons industry could be hit within days
- Revealing the Specialty of Food Matching: Improving Culinary Encounters
- Tehran defends ship seizure as a legal action, but tensions continue in the Gulf
- The most effective method to Settle on Informed Conclusions about Senior Insuranc.
- Heading to Florida for NASA's Artemis 2 moon launch? Here's what to know before you go
- The Century Coupe Could Be Toyota’s Most Ambitious Car Since the LFA
- Poland Crypto Bill Clears Sejm Again, Defying President — Will “Restrictive” Rules Stick?
- OECD: Iran war dampening global growth
- Dozens of hidden star streams found in the outskirts of our Milky Way galaxy
- Former hostage Eitan Mor on Hamas: ‘They will not give up until the last Israeli is gone'
