UK Court Jails Egyptian Man for 25 Years Over Migrant Smuggling Operation
An Egyptian national, Ahmed Ebid, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison by a London court for his role in a large-scale human smuggling network that trafficked thousands of African migrants from North Africa to Italy.
The sentence was handed down on Tuesday at Southwark Crown Court, where 42-year-old Ebid pleaded guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration.
Judge Adam Hiddleston described Ebid as a central figure in a transnational organised crime group, motivated purely by profit. “His primary motivation was to make money,” the judge stated, highlighting Ebid’s exploitation of vulnerable individuals in pursuit of financial gain.
Ebid arrived in the UK in October 2022 via a small boat crossing of the English Channel. Investigations revealed that from that time until June 2023, he was involved in at least seven smuggling operations, which formed part of a £12 million (approximately $16 million) enterprise. The operation is believed to have facilitated the illegal transport of 3,781 people—including children—into Italian territorial waters aboard unsafe vessels.
According to the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), some migrants who eventually reached the UK alleged that Ebid instructed an associate to kill and throw overboard anyone found carrying a mobile phone during the crossings.
“Ebid preyed upon the desperation of migrants to ship them across the Mediterranean in death trap boats,” said Jacque Beer, a senior official with the NCA.
One particularly harrowing incident occurred on October 25, 2022, when Italian authorities rescued more than 640 people from a wooden boat adrift in the Mediterranean. Two bodies were recovered after the vessel was brought to port in Sicily.
Tim Burton, a specialist prosecutor with the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service, said Ebid consistently showed a “complete disregard for the safety of thousands of people.” He added, “Vulnerable people were transported on long sea journeys in ill-equipped fishing vessels completely unsuitable for carrying such large numbers.”
Authorities say Ebid’s sentencing marks a significant step in efforts to dismantle international smuggling networks exploiting migrants for profit.
