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Two people smugglers, who trafficked hundreds of illegal migrants across Europe by hiding them in boats, lorries and cars in an operation ran from a Caerphilly car wash, have been jailed for 19 years each.

Dilshad Shamo, 43, of Castell Morgraig, Caerphilly, and Ali Khdir, 42, of Pontygwindy Road, smuggled refugees from the Middle East across Europe using a string of different methods to defy border police.

The pair were part of an organised people smuggling cartel which moved people from Iraq, Iran, and Syria through the EU to Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany, and France.

They were arrested in a National Crime Agency (NCA) swoop in April 2023 after an investigation centred around the Fast Track Hand Car Wash run by both men on Pontygwindy Road.

The investigation was supported by Gwent Police.

Both men were convicted after pleading guilty part way through their trial in November. They were sentenced on Friday April 10 following a Newton hearing.

Three tiers

Migrants were offered three tiers of service, the simplest being on foot or via HGV or smaller vehicle. Another tier involving cargo ships or yachts, while the top tier included plane travel.

Money was lodged with Hawala bankers based in Iraq and Istanbul, Turkey, who would arrange and obtain funds from migrants travelling on particular routes.

Shamo and Khdir used Whatsapp to communicate with people smugglers cross Europe, and once a deposit was obtained, migrants could be moved by a specific route or timeframe.

Other messaging and social media apps were used to advertise their routes and services with videos of families who were travelling via plane, on boats, or in the back of HGVs.

‘Leading an entirely separate life’

NCA Branch Commander Derek Evans said: “Our long-running investigation showed Khdir and Shamo were working around the clock to orchestrate the movement of migrants across Europe. We believe they smuggled more than 400 people in a period of just six months.

“While on the surface they portrayed themselves as successful businessmen running a car wash from Caerphilly, they were actually leading an entirely separate life as part of a criminal network.

“The NCA will continue in our work to tackle organised immigration crime and bring criminals involved at every step of the route to justice.”

Kate Hurst, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “We didn’t accept the basis on which Ali Khdir and Dilshad Shamo admitted their guilt because they tried to minimise their leading role in seeking to bring hundreds of migrants illegally into Europe.

“The court accepted our evidence and has handed down sentences that they both deserve.”

She continued: “This prosecution couldn’t have been possible without the hard work of officers from the National Crime Agency and international cooperation from our overseas partners.

“Only by working together and sharing information in this way can we disrupt and defeat organised immigration gangs.”