Twana Jamal Khdir, a convicted people smuggler once described as “the godfather” of French migrant camps, has been arrested and charged with immigration offences in the UK. Khdir, an Iraqi national, appeared at Leicester Magistrates' Court on Wednesday afternoon.
His arrest on Tuesday near Uppingham followed a joint operation led by the Midlands Criminal Financial Investigations team, with support from Leicestershire Police. The Crown Prosecution Service subsequently charged him.
During his court appearance, Khdir pleaded guilty to entering the UK without valid entry clearance. However, he entered a not guilty plea to the charge of seeking to obtain leave to enter or remain by deceptive means.
Khdir has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear next at Leicester Crown Court on 5 October.
His presence in the UK was revealed last month following an investigation. Khdir previously served a five-year jail sentence in France, handed down in 2016 for people smuggling. At the time of his French conviction, prosecutors stated that the Iraqi Kurd, then aged 36, had earned up to £100,000 per week from facilitating the illegal movement of immigrants across the Channel. French authorities had described him as one of the most successful people smugglers ever apprehended.
