A man arrested by the National Crime Agency has been convicted in France over the deaths of at least 27 people who drowned while attempting to cross the English Channel in a small boat.
Harem Ahmed Abwbaker, an Iraqi Kurd aged 36, was one of six people found guilty of manslaughter at the Tribunal Judiciaire de Paris on 30 September 2026. French prosecutors described him as a key ringleader of the people smuggling gang behind the crossing. He was sentenced to eight years in prison. The other five members of the network received sentences of between six and ten years.
A further seven people were convicted of related offences, including facilitating illegal immigration and membership of an organised crime group. Their sentences ranged from six months suspended to four years in prison.
The deaths occurred in November 2021, when a dinghy carrying mainly Iraqi Kurds sank in the Channel. Only two people survived. Another four remain missing. It remains the largest single loss of life in the Channel linked to small boats.
The NCA supported the French investigation and later established that one of the ringleaders had smuggled himself into the United Kingdom. Investigators traced Abwbaker to a hotel in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, and arrested him in November 2022. He had entered the country in the back of a lorry. He was extradited to France in July 2023 to face charges of manslaughter, human trafficking and organised crime.
The gang, made up of Afghan and Kurdish members, charged migrants around 3,000 euros each for the crossing.
NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Craig Turner said the incident starkly demonstrated the callous nature of the gangs organising Channel boat crossings. He said Abwbaker and his co conspirators did not care about the dangers of putting an overloaded and completely unsuitable dinghy into the sea, and wanted only to be paid. Many of those on board paid with their lives. He paid tribute to the French police and prosecutors who secured justice for the families, and said tackling people smuggling remains a top priority for the NCA.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley said her thoughts remained with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives. She said the sentencing sent a clear message that anyone who puts lives at risk in order to profit will face the full force of the law, and thanked the NCA and the French authorities for their cooperation.
By A.Ikechukwu
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