Afghans washed up on Texel were human smuggling victims

Two Afghan men, Samiullah and Ahmad Jan, whose body parts washed ashore on Texel in 2023 were victims of a human smuggling network, according to an investigation by Dutch broadcaster NH and investigative TV programme Zembla. The men were among 67 others who attempted to cross the English Channel in a rubber dinghy on August 12, 2023.

Their boat's engine failed and after an explosion, the vessel disintegrated. Six bodies, including those of Samiullah and Ahmad Jan, were recovered two months later on Texel. The Dutch Marechaussee, responsible for border control, revealed that the Netherlands plays a significant role in people-smuggling, involving the import, transit, and storage of illegal nautical equipment.

The smugglers, aware of the boats' substandard quality, deliberately placed people in dangerous conditions, viewing money as more valuable than human life. French authorities dismantled a large human-trafficking network led by Idriss Ghazi Kareem, who was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his crimes.