- Joined
- Mar 11, 2013
- Messages
- 15,346
- Points
- 113
An Iraqi man who masterminded the smuggling of hundreds of illegal migrants to Britain in yachts, lorries and small boats has avoided a full criminal trial – after claiming he was too traumatised to face justice.
A court heard that Mohammed Ali Nareman, 37, was at the centre of an international people smuggling ring that charged desperate migrants thousands of pounds to reach the UK.
He was eventually apprehended, along with Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth after a yacht carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex in February 2022.
Within hours, Border Force officers detained 14 people from Iran, Iraq and Albania, including two children.
Videos found on their phones showed the group aboard the yacht, with one clip declaring: 'We are all Hama Kalari's passengers, thank the great God now we are in the water.'
Investigators later proved that 'Hama Kalari' was in fact Nareman.
But despite the damning evidence against him, a judge at Maidstone Crown Court ruled that Nareman was unfit to stand trial because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and depression.
The decision meant he could not be cross-examined or properly instruct defence lawyers.
However, the judge ordered a trial of facts, meaning a jury would still decide whether he had committed the acts he was accused of, without a formal conviction.
On Monday, jurors found that Nareman had indeed committed people smuggling offences, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
A court heard that Mohammed Ali Nareman, 37, from London, was at the centre of an international people smuggling ring that charged desperate migrants thousands of pounds to reach the UK
Officers discovered that Nareman and Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth, were behind a dramatic incident in February 2022, when a yacht carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex (above)
Migrants can be seen in the CCTV footage swimming away from the yacht and running once they hit land on the other side
He was eventually apprehended, along with Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth after a yacht (pictured) carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex in February 2022
His phone showed he had travelled from London to Rye on the same day, and contained maps of the French and British coastlines, images of migrant passports, and messages directing people to his home.
One video on his device showed him holding bundles of cash totalling £50,000.
NCA officers also uncovered text messages about lorry and small boat crossings, including prices charged to migrants and rows with other smugglers.
A second phone, found hidden under a child's play tent, contained further videos, photos and voice notes linking him to people trafficking.
Investigators found that Karim was controlling a wider network of smugglers operating across northern Europe and the Middle East.
His phone showed the movement of migrants from Serbia, Turkey, Kosovo, Bosnia and other countries through Romania and Hungary using HGVs.
Evidence suggested migrants were charged £800 to £1,000 to enter the EU, and much larger sums to reach Britain.
Messages revealed plans for a separate attempt in November 2022, with migrants charged £1,650 each to hide inside an HGV.
That same month, French officials stopped a lorry in Calais and found two Iraqi nationals concealed inside.
By January 2023, Nareman was charging £24,000 for two passengers to cross to Britain
Videos found on their phones showed the group aboard the yacht, with one clip declaring: 'We are all Hama Kalari's passengers, thank the great God now we are in the water'
In another exchange, smugglers complained that some migrants had been drinking during a crossing, to which Nareman chillingly replied they should 'just kick him in his head and then kick him to the dinghy'.
By January 2023, the pair were discussing yet another crossing, charging £24,000 for two passengers.
One voice note translated as: 'The okay for two passengers, £24,000. Give the 'okay'. With the agreement that the driver boarding them one side and the driver dropping them the other side. If they were arrested in Dover inside the lorry, they not pay a cent.'
Nareman also sent Karim weather forecasts to plan small boat launches, writing: 'You will see the wind is low, there is no problem at all for after tomorrow. Even the dinghy can go.'
Karim was arrested in Portsmouth in March 2024 and later pleaded guilty to people smuggling offences.
He will be sentenced on 8 January 2026. Nareman, who remains in custody, will be dealt with on the same date — but cannot be jailed due to his mental health ruling.
One video on his device showed him holding bundles of cash totalling £50,000
Rachel Bramley, from the NCA, said: 'Mohammed Ali Nareman was extremely prolific in the criminal world of people smuggling.
'His messages with Karim and others showed the group's disdain for the people they were transporting – they were seen as nothing more than a commodity for them to make money from.
'Our investigators uncovered their extensive digital footprint, which showed months of activity organising crossings both by small boats and HGVs, sharing routes and prices, receiving praise in videos of migrants on their crossings and boasting of the proceeds they made.
'Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle them, wherever they operate.
'We are currently leading around 100 ongoing investigations into networks or individuals in the top tier of organised immigration crime who are involved in the highest harm, highest threat crime groups.'
A court heard that Mohammed Ali Nareman, 37, was at the centre of an international people smuggling ring that charged desperate migrants thousands of pounds to reach the UK.
He was eventually apprehended, along with Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth after a yacht carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex in February 2022.
Within hours, Border Force officers detained 14 people from Iran, Iraq and Albania, including two children.
Videos found on their phones showed the group aboard the yacht, with one clip declaring: 'We are all Hama Kalari's passengers, thank the great God now we are in the water.'
Investigators later proved that 'Hama Kalari' was in fact Nareman.
But despite the damning evidence against him, a judge at Maidstone Crown Court ruled that Nareman was unfit to stand trial because he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic attacks and depression.
The decision meant he could not be cross-examined or properly instruct defence lawyers.
However, the judge ordered a trial of facts, meaning a jury would still decide whether he had committed the acts he was accused of, without a formal conviction.
On Monday, jurors found that Nareman had indeed committed people smuggling offences, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
A court heard that Mohammed Ali Nareman, 37, from London, was at the centre of an international people smuggling ring that charged desperate migrants thousands of pounds to reach the UK
Officers discovered that Nareman and Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth, were behind a dramatic incident in February 2022, when a yacht carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex (above)
Migrants can be seen in the CCTV footage swimming away from the yacht and running once they hit land on the other side
He was eventually apprehended, along with Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth after a yacht (pictured) carrying 14 migrants ran aground near Rye, Sussex in February 2022
His phone showed he had travelled from London to Rye on the same day, and contained maps of the French and British coastlines, images of migrant passports, and messages directing people to his home.
One video on his device showed him holding bundles of cash totalling £50,000.
NCA officers also uncovered text messages about lorry and small boat crossings, including prices charged to migrants and rows with other smugglers.
A second phone, found hidden under a child's play tent, contained further videos, photos and voice notes linking him to people trafficking.
Investigators found that Karim was controlling a wider network of smugglers operating across northern Europe and the Middle East.
His phone showed the movement of migrants from Serbia, Turkey, Kosovo, Bosnia and other countries through Romania and Hungary using HGVs.
Evidence suggested migrants were charged £800 to £1,000 to enter the EU, and much larger sums to reach Britain.
Messages revealed plans for a separate attempt in November 2022, with migrants charged £1,650 each to hide inside an HGV.
That same month, French officials stopped a lorry in Calais and found two Iraqi nationals concealed inside.
By January 2023, Nareman was charging £24,000 for two passengers to cross to Britain
Videos found on their phones showed the group aboard the yacht, with one clip declaring: 'We are all Hama Kalari's passengers, thank the great God now we are in the water'
In another exchange, smugglers complained that some migrants had been drinking during a crossing, to which Nareman chillingly replied they should 'just kick him in his head and then kick him to the dinghy'.
By January 2023, the pair were discussing yet another crossing, charging £24,000 for two passengers.
One voice note translated as: 'The okay for two passengers, £24,000. Give the 'okay'. With the agreement that the driver boarding them one side and the driver dropping them the other side. If they were arrested in Dover inside the lorry, they not pay a cent.'
Nareman also sent Karim weather forecasts to plan small boat launches, writing: 'You will see the wind is low, there is no problem at all for after tomorrow. Even the dinghy can go.'
Karim was arrested in Portsmouth in March 2024 and later pleaded guilty to people smuggling offences.
He will be sentenced on 8 January 2026. Nareman, who remains in custody, will be dealt with on the same date — but cannot be jailed due to his mental health ruling.
One video on his device showed him holding bundles of cash totalling £50,000
Rachel Bramley, from the NCA, said: 'Mohammed Ali Nareman was extremely prolific in the criminal world of people smuggling.
'His messages with Karim and others showed the group's disdain for the people they were transporting – they were seen as nothing more than a commodity for them to make money from.
'Our investigators uncovered their extensive digital footprint, which showed months of activity organising crossings both by small boats and HGVs, sharing routes and prices, receiving praise in videos of migrants on their crossings and boasting of the proceeds they made.
'Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle them, wherever they operate.
'We are currently leading around 100 ongoing investigations into networks or individuals in the top tier of organised immigration crime who are involved in the highest harm, highest threat crime groups.'
