Watch: People smuggler tracked down and confronted by BBC
Key takeaways
- Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016.
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Watch: People smuggler tracked down and confronted by BBCClose Convicted people smuggler Twana Jamal, once described as "the godfather" of the French migrant camps, is living and working in Leicestershire, and believed to be seeking asylum, a BBC investigation can reveal.
Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016. Following a tip-off this year, the BBC traced Jamal to Blaby in Leicestershire, where we witnessed him working illegally, driving a car without a licence and apparently using a false name.
We have also been told by law enforcement officials in mainland Europe that 15 other convicted people smugglers are now living in the UK under false names, raising serious concerns about whether existing border controls are effective in checking asylum seekers who have committed serious crimes overseas.