Small boat migrant became £12million people smuggler kingpin from taxpayer-funded flat
A 42-year-old man, originally from Egypt, came into the UK illegally by crossing the English Channel in a small boat with his wife and young daughter. His name is Ahmed Ebid, and he used to work as a fisherman. But behind the scenes, he was running one of the biggest people smuggling operations in the country, worth around £12 million.
Ahmed, who went by the nickname “Captain Ahmed” on Facebook, was living in a government-funded flat in Isleworth, southwest London. While living there on benefits, he secretly organised dangerous migrant journeys from Libya to Europe using overcrowded fishing boats. He had already served jail time in Italy in the past for drug trafficking, but that didn’t stop him.
From his flat in London, he helped smuggle around 3,800 people across the Mediterranean in just seven boat trips. Each person paid him an average of £3,300 to make the risky journey. Some of the people he smuggled ended up in Britain after first arriving in Italy.
His criminal activities were uncovered in June 2023, when police raided his home and found two notebooks. One showed payment details, and the other had GPS locations of sea routes. Investigators also found that his UK phone number was linked to satellite phones used by migrants to call for help while crossing the sea. That connection helped police catch him.
This case marks the first time someone in Britain has been convicted for smuggling people across the Mediterranean. It also shows how UK authorities are now focusing not just on stopping small boats in France, but also on cracking down on smuggling networks further away, like in Libya.
Earlier this year, based on intelligence from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), four suspected smugglers were arrested in Libya. It’s believed that for the first time, British officers were working on the ground there to fight illegal immigration.
Rick Jones from the NCA said their mission is not just about stopping small boats in the Channel. Their aim is to break apart these smuggling networks wherever they operate.
The Mediterranean route is considered one of the most dangerous migration paths in the world. Since 2014, it has taken nearly 25,000 lives, and this year alone, almost 400 people have died trying to cross it.
