People Smuggler Who Boasted About Making ‘Over Two Million Dollars’ Smuggling Migrants Meets a Shocking Fate

A people smuggler who bragged about earning over “two million dollars” by organizing illegal Channel crossings in unsafe dinghies has been sentenced to prison. Pistiwan Jameel, 55, from Birmingham, was a key figure in arranging dangerous journeys for migrants across the English Channel. Originally from Iraq, Jameel moved to the UK in 2002 and became a “fixer” who connected people with criminal networks operating in northern France.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) believes Jameel played a major role in orchestrating dozens of crossings, helping hundreds of people enter the UK illegally. He was caught after surveillance teams observed him meeting with Artan Halilaj, a 39-year-old Albanian national, in Birmingham on September 1, 2023. During the meeting, cash was exchanged, and Jameel was overheard saying, “my three passengers, all good to go, all okay,” indicating his involvement in arranging crossings.

Artan Halilaj had arrived in the UK on a small boat earlier that year and had claimed asylum. However, he disappeared from the hotel where he was supposed to stay while his asylum application was being processed. Instead, he was trying to arrange a crossing for his relative, Fiorentino Halilaj, 25, who successfully crossed the Channel on September 2, 2023. When Fiorentino arrived in the UK, his phone was seized by immigration authorities and handed over to the NCA. Investigators found contact details for Jameel on the device, linking him to the smuggling operation.

Over the following days, NCA officers recorded Jameel’s conversations with his criminal associates, where he referred to migrants as “pigeons” or “sticks.” He complained about competition driving down prices in the people-smuggling market but boasted about making at least two million dollars for his criminal networks. In one conversation, he even discussed arranging a migrant’s journey from the Middle East to Turkey, expecting to earn around ten thousand dollars from the deal.

Jameel, Artan, and Fiorentino were all arrested in October 2023. Jameel’s phone contained evidence linking him to up to 50 people who had entered the UK illegally on small boats between 2022 and 2023, including photos taken during Channel crossings. Jameel and Fiorentino pleaded guilty to facilitating illegal immigration, while Artan was convicted after a trial at Birmingham Crown Court in November 2024.

On February 25, 2025, Jameel was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison, Artan received three and a half years, and Fiorentino was jailed for two and a half years.

NCA Branch Commander Kevin Broadhead commented on the case, saying, “The scale of Pistiwan Jameel’s offending was likely far wider than just the crossings he was charged over. The information we uncovered suggests he was prolific and operated over a considerable amount of time.

He was only in it for the money, risking people’s lives in flimsy boats at sea. Targeting smugglers like him is a priority for the NCA, and we will do all we can to disrupt these criminal networks.”

The NCA is currently leading around 70 investigations into organized immigration crime and human trafficking, using various tactics to dismantle these dangerous operations. This case highlights the ongoing efforts to combat people smuggling and protect vulnerable individuals from exploitation.