A fugitive convicted in Belgium of smuggling migrants was arrested in Coventry, near Birmingham, by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday.
Asat Sulieman Mohammad (55), an Iraqi-born British national, was involved in smuggling migrants to the UK from Belgium using refrigerated lorries via the port of Zeebrugge. He collected migrants upon their arrival and arranged payments to other smugglers via the Hawala banking system.
His involvement in the smuggling system was uncovered by a Belgian-led investigation supported by the NCA. In one case, in October 2019, Belgian police rescued over 20 Iraqi and Iranian migrants, including a number of children, who had been locked inside a trailer for over three days. They were found in distress banging on the inside walls for help.
"The methods used by Mohammad and his co-conspirators risked the lives of those they transported," said the head for NCA International, Gill Duggan. "This demonstrates the callous nature of people smuggling gangs who treat people as a commodity to profit from."
In January 2025, Mohammad was convicted of people smuggling and being part of an organised crime group by a court in Ghent, Belgium. However, he fled before he could be sentenced. The court sentenced Mohammad, in his absence, to five years in prison and a €224,000 fine.
A manhunt was triggered after Mohammad fled Belgium. NCA officers were brought in to locate him. They were able to track him down and arrest him on Tuesday night, in the Gulson Road area of Coventry.
Mohammad is set to be taken to Westminster Magistrates. Extradition proceedings for him to be returned to Belgium are underway.
"Working with international partners, including Belgium, we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved," Duggan concluded.
