Fugitive Ringleader Muhammad Zada Sentenced to 20 Years After Fleeing Newcastle

Sep 22, 2024, 11:08 AM

Muhammad Zada, the fugitive ringleader of a gang that smuggled migrants into the UK in refrigerated lorries, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison in his absence. Zada, 43, smuggled Iraqi-Turds into Britain from 2017, charging victims, including children, between £5,000 and £10,000. He fled from Newcastle and his associates, including Pareiz Abdullah, who received a six-year sentence, have also been jailed. Two members of the gang remain on the run. The Home Office has recently intensified its crackdown on people-smuggling gangs, resulting in 31 arrests across Scotland, Belfast, Liverpool, and Luton. In a separate operation, authorities seized £400,000 and fraudulent identity documents.