{
  "id": 17063858,
  "title": "Gang jailed after charging migrants $1,800 to be smuggled from UK to France",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/gang-jailed-after-charging-migrants-1-800-to-be-smuggled-from-uk-to-17063858",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-29T12:17:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National Business",
    "slug": "the-national-business",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/uk/2026/10/29/gang-jailed-after-charging-migrants-1800-to-be-smuggled-from-uk-to-france/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A people-smuggling gang based in London has been sentenced to over 84 years in prison for charging migrants $1,800 each to smuggle them from the UK to France. The operation, led by Shuhal Ahmed, involved recruiting drivers from Romania and North Macedonia to transport 196 migrants, mainly from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Nepal, across the English Channel. The gang bypassed EU border checks by arranging for migrants, who had arrived in the UK on legitimate visas, to be driven from London to Kent, where they were met by lorries. Thermal imaging surveillance footage showed migrants packed inside the vehicles, while CCTV footage captured the detainees arriving at their rendezvous point in an industrial park. Minicab driver Robiul Islam, who drove migrants to Kent, was jailed for five years, while Nicusor Lacatus, a Romanian who connected the gang with willing HGV and van drivers, received a six-year sentence. The National Crime Agency's investigation, which lasted from July 2025 to January 2026, dismantled the entire criminal network, sending a warning to those considering getting involved in people-smuggling activities.",
  "summary": "A people-smuggling gang that charged migrants $1,800 each to be transported from the UK to France has been jailed for a total of more than 84 years. The criminals’ operation allowed migrants , who were mainly from Bangladesh , India and Pakistan , plus some from Nepal, to bypass EU border checks. The migrants had arrived in the UK on legitimate visas, but paid to be smuggled into France so they…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}