People smugglers ran ‘TripAdvisor for unlawful migrants’ journey service from a roadside automobile wash in Wales

People smugglers who ran a ‘TripAdvisor for illegal migrants’ travel service are facing jail time.

Dilshad Shamo, 43, and Ali Khdir, 42, secretly trafficked hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Middle East to Europe and the UK using an unassuming car wash in Caerphilly, south Wales, as their base. 

From there, Iraqi-born Shamo and Iranian-born Khdir would organise boats, HGVs, taxis and cars as they defied border controls to hide illegal immigrants.

Cardiff Crown Court heard their secret smuggling business which moved people from Iraq, Iran and Syria through the EU to Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and France. 

Their ‘cover’ was blown when National Crime Agency officers swooped on the Fast Track Hand Car Wash and allegedly seized hidden iPhones filled with trafficking messages. 

Appearing in court, Shamo and Khdir initially denied the people smuggling plot but changed their pleas after two weeks of evidence against them.    

Prosecutor Sarah Gaunt said the pair’s main business was ‘trafficking of people’ or ‘people smuggling, predominantly of migrants from Iran, Iraq and Syria.’

She continued: ‘Migrants often paid several thousand pounds to be traffic across Europe by various organised routes.

Pictured: Iraqi national Dilshad Shamo, 43, who secretly trafficked hundreds of illegal immigrants from the Middle East to Europe and the UK running a ‘TripAdvisor for illegal migrants’

Pictured: Iranian national Ali Khdir who alongside Shamo helped move people from Iraq , Iran and Syria through the EU to Italy , Romania , Bulgaria, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and France

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‘These defendants were conducting the people smuggling operation from Caerphilly and primarily from the Fast Track Hand Car Wash, situated in Pontygwindy Road, Caerphilly.

‘The countries focussed upon, in this case, are Italy, Romania, Germany and Croatia. These four countries were among the European countries that migrants were trafficked to or through by these defendants.’

Ms Gaunt said a phone with incriminating messages belonging to Shamo was found ‘behind a seat’ in the car wash which had the user name matching his first name of Dilshad.

A phone belonging to Khdir was later seized – which had a second SIM card hidden in its case – and another phone belonging to Shamo was also seized which was linked to several numbers.

She said: ‘The two phones said to belong to Shamo and the single telephone belonging to Khdir were downloaded and subjected to forensic examination.’

The court heard the defendants used different methods to smuggle people into Europe known as ‘the Turkey route’, ‘the visa route’, ‘the lorry route’ or ‘the Bosnian route’.

Ms Gaunt said the ‘Turkey route’ involved migrants from Iran, Iraq or Syria legally crossing into Turkey before illegally travelling onwards by ship into Italy.

The ‘tourist visa’ method would see migrants obtain legal documents to enter countries such as Belarus and Moldova to then be trafficked on into Romania, Germany or Austria.

Fast Track hand car wash in Caerphilly, south Wales, which was used as a base for Shamo and Khdir to smuggle people 

Ms Gaunt said the ‘lorry route’ would see migrants into lorries and move them on by sea or by road to Italy and German or ‘onwards to other countries such as France.’

A fourth alleged method was called known as the ‘Bosnian route’ where ‘Cars or taxis can be used to transport various individuals into Croatia or Slovenia and on to Italy.’

Ms Gaunt said that both Shamo and Khdir ran the car wash together.

She added: ‘Although it did function as a car wash, this company may have also operated at least in part to provide a cover for the defendants’ other activities.’

Shamo and Khdir, of Caerphilly, South Wales, admitted five counts of conspiring to breach migration laws in Italy, Romania, Croatia and Germany.

Cardiff Crown Court heard the offences – under the 1971 Immigration Act – are alleged to have been carried out between October 2022 and April 2023.

The trial of issue and sentence before Judge the Recorder of Cardiff Tracey Lloyd Clarke is due to last three days.

The sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court continues.