Migrants smuggled into Europe with help from UK car wash bosses

Two men were found guilty for running a trafficking operation from a car wash in Wales. Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, made thousands of pounds by helping migrants, mainly from Iraq, Iran, and Syria, enter countries in Europe illegally. Newly released video footage shows men being smuggled into the continent by lorry and boat. Shamo and Khdir ran the operation from the Fast Track Hand Car Wash in Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, between September 30, 2022, and April 19, 2023.

The National Crime Agency conducted a long-running investigation into the pair, who changed their plea to guilty during their trial at Cardiff Crown Court. Prosecutor Sarah Gaunt said in the opening of the trial: "It is the prosecution's case that the defendants were conducting a people smuggling operation from Caerphilly - primarily the Fast Track Hand Car Wash situated in Pontygwindy Road."

Telephone and sim cards were seized from the defendants, where a substantial amount of evidence was downloaded. Conversations showed contact from individuals in Iraq, Turkey, and from across Europe.

Among the evidence taken during the investigation were self-filmed videos from migrants as they were in the process of being smuggled from one country to another.

One video shows a man filming himself as he is driven in the back of a lorry. He can be heard saying: "Today is December 17, 2022. With the help of Good and Kak Choman we made a deal by lorry route. I'm inside the lorry - that is his job. We made a deal and we are on the move."

Another video shows multiple migrants on small boats, saying: "Ships! Boss! We only travel by ships to Italy."

Ms Gaunt added: "The prosecution's case is the evidence from multiple sources shows the defendants trafficked or attempted to traffic individuals from non-European countries across and into the EU for monetary gain. This was in breach of immigration laws that existed in those countries. Money was deposited by migrants in order to fund the journey and the facilitators included these defendants."

Money was being deposited using Hawala and Western Union through agencies in Iraq, the court heard. In return, Shamo and Khdir would organise entry into the EU countries by arranging passage.

The company the pair owned operated as a legitimate car wash but may also have been a front for the defendants' other activities.

Shamo was initially arrested at the car wash on November 18, 2022, for a separate incident, where his phone was seized.

In 2023, he and Khdir were arrested for illegally employing people who were disqualified from working in the UK due to their immigration status.

Khdir's phone was then seized, which led to the discovery of the various messages.

The defendants, who were initially charged with five counts of conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach or attempted breach of immigration laws, changed their plea to guilty.

A separate hearing before a judge, called a Newton hearing, will be held next April before they are sentenced.