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People smuggler convicted in France found by BBC living in UK and seeking asylum | BBC News
Posted
July 2, 2026
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July 2, 2026
80,550
1,304
1.62%
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9:48Now PlayingA convicted people smuggler, described as the “godfather" of the French migrant camps, is living and working in an English village where he’s believed to be seeking asylum, a BBC investigation can reveal.
Twana Jamal was given a five-year jail sentence in France in 2016, where authorities described him as one of the most successful people-smugglers ever caught.
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.
Jamal is one of more than 20 people smugglers the BBC has found to have reached the UK, raising serious concerns about whether existing border controls are effective in checking asylum seekers who have committed serious crimes overseas.
The Home Office told us: "All asylum claimants are subject to mandatory security checks to confirm their identity for the purpose of immigration, security and criminality checks”, and that the UK has "a number of agreements with countries which enable the sharing of criminal record information", adding that immigration enforcement action is currently at its highest level in history.
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