A people smuggler who referred to migrants as "chickens" has been jailed for just over 10 years for his role in arranging illegal crossings to the UK.
Ramal Briem worked with other gang members to transport people, including six who were brought to Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire in the back of a lorry in March 2024.
The 33-year-old Iraqi national came to the UK illegally by small boat in 2020, after which he claimed asylum. He got involved in the people smuggling network following financial struggles, the National Crime Agency said.
Briem pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration at Wolverhampton Crown Court in October 2024.
Sentencing him earlier at Worcester Crown Court, Judge Andrew Lockhart KC suggested that Briem, who had been living in Wolverhampton, was also deported after his sentencing was complete.
The judge said it was hard to imagine "a more serious example of a people trafficker".
"You were part of an organised crime group (OCG) bringing significant numbers of immigrants from across the globe," he said.
"Victims found themselves threatened, abused and placed at huge risk…you and the people you work with would prey on them."
The main evidence for the case came from seized mobile phones, with messages between Briem and another gang member known as "Kevin".
They discussed the movement of people they referred to as "chickens" waiting for illegal crossings in northern France.
Briem said in one exchange that if he received "20 chickens, two of them were free".
Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard told the court that Briem also used a boat emoji in the messages.
This breaking news story is being updated.
Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Related internet links
LATEST POSTS
- 1
Google to Use Natural Gas to Power Massive Data Center in Texas - 2Sarkozy says he owes France 'the truth' as he challenges conviction over alleged Libya funding
- 3Chicago reports first rabies-positive dog in 61 years. What we know.
- 4French ship crosses Strait of Hormuz in first Western European transit during Iran war
- 5Congress is running out of time to extend ACA subsidies as the GOP moves on to an alternative plan. Here's where things stand.
- Jillian Michaels put me at the center of a body positivity debate. She's not entirely wrong about obesity.
- Why don’t humans have hair all over their bodies? A biologist explains our lack of fur
- The Best Music Collections of the 10 years
- Exposure to neighborhood violence leads some Denver teens to use tobacco and alcohol earlier, new study shows
- Could the Star of Bethlehem have actually been a comet?
- 'It's doing badly': Fears grow for whale stuck off Germany's coast
- My skin feels drier, my lips thinner and my makeup heavier. How do I adjust my routine for aging skin?
- It's been 20 years since MTV's golden couple split. These producers saw it all unravel.
- Old age isn’t a modern phenomenon – many people lived long enough to grow old in the olden days, too
