Brit automobile wash bosses helped smuggle migrants into Europe and made 1000’s
Two British men made several thousands of pounds by helping migrants to illegally enter countries including Italy, Romania, Germany and Croatia from outside of the EU
Video footage has emerged showing migrants being smuggled into Europe via lorry and boat, aided by a human trafficking operation run from a car wash in Wales. The video reveals one migrant hidden in the back of a lorry, while others are seen on the side of a speedily moving boat.
Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, raked in several thousands of pounds by assisting migrants from outside the EU – predominantly from Iraq, Iran, and Syria – to violate immigration laws and illicitly enter countries such as Italy, Romania, Germany, and Croatia. The duo operated their scheme from the Fast Track Hand Car Wash on Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, between September 30, 2022 and April 19, 2023.
The National Crime Agency gathered evidence during an extensive investigation into Shamo and Khdir’s activities. As prosecutor Sarah Gaunt introduced the case to the jury, she stated: “It is the prosecution’s case the defendants were conducting a people smuggling operation from Caerphilly – primarily the Fast Track Hand Car Wash situated in Pontygwindy Road.”
Several mobile phones and sim cards were confiscated from the defendants. These devices were examined, revealing a wealth of evidence in the form of messages and other online communications.
Contacts were identified from individuals in Iraq, Turkey, and various European locations, reports Wales Online.
Among the material confiscated during the probe were self-recorded clips from migrants while they were being trafficked between countries. One clip depicts a man filming his feet whilst being transported in a lorry’s rear.
He can be heard stating: “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.”
The man then moves the camera to reveal several blankets positioned on top of pallets.
Additional material shows migrants journeying on vessels speeding across the waters. In one clip, a man can be heard declaring: “Ships! Boss! We only travel by ships to Italy.”
Officers conducted surveillance on Shamo and Khdir, installing listening equipment in the defendants’ vehicles and at the car wash facility. Multiple exchanges between the defendants were captured, initially in Kurdish but subsequently translated into English for court proceedings.
Images were captured of the defendants, with Khdir snapped at the car wash and Shamo pictured at Heathrow Airport. Ms Gaunt continued: “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.”
The court was told that funds were transferred using Hawala and Western Union via money transfer agencies operating from Iraq. In exchange, Shamo and Khdir arranged entry into EU nations for various individuals lacking proper legal documentation by coordinating passages through or access into European Union territories.
Both accused are British nationals, though Shamo, from Castell Morgraig, Caerphilly, was born in Iraq whilst Khdir, from Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly, was born in Iran and is of Kurdish Iranian heritage.
The pair owned and ran Fast Track Hand Car Wash Ltd from 2015 to 2021. It was alleged the business did function as a genuine car washing service but may have simultaneously served as a cover for the defendants’ additional operations.
Shamo was additionally known by the aliases Mr Kochar or Kuchar, while Khdir went by the names Bakhtiyar, Baka, and Bakha. Shamo was apprehended at the car wash on 18 November 2022, in connection with a different case during which his mobile was confiscated.
He and Khdir were arrested on April 18, 2023, for unlawfully employing individuals who were not permitted to work in the UK due to their immigration status, during which Khdir’s phone was also seized. The confiscation of the defendants’ phones led to the uncovering of various messages.
Both defendants initially denied charges of five counts of conspiracy to facilitate the commission of a breach or attempted breach of immigration laws, but changed their plea to guilty during their trial at Cardiff Crown Court. They were officially found guilty of the charges by the jury.
Despite pleading guilty, the defendants dispute the prosecution’s version of events and have each submitted a basis of plea. A separate hearing before a judge, known as a Newton hearing, will take place next April before they are sentenced.
