Hull man admits planning to smuggle asylum seekers into UK
33 year-old Nzar Jabar Mohamad will be sentenced in July.
A man from Hull has admitted planning to smuggle migrants into the UK from France in dinghies.
33 year-old Iraqi national Nzar Jabar Mohamad pleaded guilty to conspiracy to help asylum seekers enter the UK at Hull Crown Court today.
He's been remanded in custody and will be sentenced in July.
Judge John Thackray QC told Mohamad he will be sentenced on July 2 but warned the defendant: "All options are available including a custodial sentence.''
The National Crime Agency (NCA) previously said that it arrested Mohamad at his home in Waterloo Street, Hull, in November 2019.
The agency said at the time that this was in relation to an alleged plot to smuggle migrants from France to the UK using small dinghies.
NCA officers suspect members of the crime group based on the Continent had bought a boat, outboard engine and life jackets ready to make the crossing, charging migrants up to £10,000.
They are also believed to have been involved in using lorries to bring migrants from Belgium and the Netherlands.
Speaking in 2019, NCA branch commander Mark Spoors said: "We believe we have managed to disrupted an organised crime group we suspect were involved in the transportation of migrants to the UK for financial gain using a variety of illegal routes.''