Pistiwan Jameel, a people smuggler, is jailed. He ran a £1.5m boat operation across the Channel, facilitating illegal immigration.
Jameel was arrested after helping Artan Halilaj, 40, smuggle his brother-in-law, Fiorentino Halilaj, 26, into the UK. This happened in September 2023 via small boat.
Undercover recordings caught Jameel boasting that he earned $2 million that went to criminal organizations.
He complained about competition in smuggling, which drove prices down for him.
Text messages on Jameel’s phone showed transactions linked to around 50 illegal entries over two years. Photos from Channel boats proved it.
Jameel, from Birmingham, admitted to facilitating illegal immigration and received a prison sentence of four years, ten months. The judge called him a middle manager who ran a commercial operation for profit, risking life and serious injury with small boats.
Artan Halilaj, from London, was also found guilty and received a three and a half year sentence. Fiorentino Halilaj admitted the same crime and got two and a half years in jail.
The NCA watched Jameel meet Artan Halilaj in Birmingham on September 1, 2023. Jameel took cash during this meeting and then boasted about his three passengers being good to go.
The next day, Fiorentino Halilaj crossed the Channel, and authorities found Jameel’s contact on his phone. Police listened to Jameel’s calls and discovered his role in arranging crossings.
The prosecutor said Jameel was the UK fixer who sold seats on boats crossing the Channel. Artan Halilaj had also come via small boat, absconded from provided accommodation, and then paid Jameel for his brother-in-law’s passage.
Jameel came to the UK from Iraq and became a British citizen in 2019. He claimed he had many people ready to cross and had been bringing people for 15 years. Police found 40 passports on his phone, thirty of which linked to small boat arrivals.
Jameel’s lawyer said he was a middle manager and a railway cleaner for twenty years, adding there was no proof of major profit. Artan Halilaj’s lawyer said his role was limited to paying for his brother-in-law’s boat place and having no contact with anyone else, feeling family pressure. Fiorentino Halilaj’s lawyer said his client wanted to help his parents.