He has also been accused of using a false identity while living in Britain.
Twana Jamal (Image: BBC)
A notorious people smuggler earning £100,000-a-week has been living in a taxpayer-subsidised council flat in Britain. Twana Jamal, 46, was sentenced to five years in prison in France in 2016 after being convicted of leading a network that smuggled thousands of migrants into the UK from northern France.
He ran a criminal network which was so successful at getting people across the Channel and into the UK that he became known as the “Godfather of traffickers” and “King of the Calais Jungle”. Jamal has spent the past two years living in a one-bedroom council flat in Leicester, which neighbours claim was being illegally sub-let, Daily Mail reports.
The smuggler is believed to have divided his time between the city centre flat and a nearby bungalow linked to relatives. He has also been accused of using a false identity while living in Britain, running a pair of sweets and vape shops and driving a black BMW 640 without a licence.
A member of the French prosecution team who brought him to justice told the Daily Mail: “He was known as the Godfather of Traffickers for a reason – so it is absolutely outrageous that he has done so well for himself in England, but it is not surprising.”
Last month, officers from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations unit carried out a raid at the Leicester flat. It is unclear whether Jamal was present during the operation, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
Jamal’s presence in the UK first came to light during a recent BBC investigation, which reported that more than 20 convicted or suspected people smugglers are living in Britain, with some having claimed asylum under different identities.
According to the report, Jamal denied involvement in people smuggling and claimed he had been in the UK since 2009, awaiting the outcome of an asylum application. When shown evidence of his conviction in France, he reportedly said: “I don’t care.”
Jamal charged migrants between £4,500 and £5,000 for passage to the UK (Image: Getty)
An associate of Jamal said how “shady-looking characters” in big expensive cars would visit him regularly at the flat.
He said: “There was an Asian woman who would turn up once a month in a big white Mercedes – she would go and see him empty-handed and come out again carrying a bag.
“I have also seen a group of Middle Eastern men turn up in a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan and a big grey Audi to visit him.”
A neighbour said: “We believe the place was being illegally sub-let and used for his dodgy business deals.”
Jamal had been linked to two shops in Blaby, Leicestershire, operating under the name Candy Corner. The businesses have since been closed by Blaby District Council under anti-social behaviour legislation, and company records show they have since been transferred to new ownership.
The case has sparked questions over how foreign nationals with serious overseas convictions can remain in the UK. Under current immigration rules, individuals sentenced to at least 12 months in prison overseas can be refused asylum.
A Downing Street spokesperson said the Government was urgently establishing the facts surrounding the case.
The spokesperson said: “We share the public’s concern at these reports and are working urgently to establish the facts. We will not tolerate abuse of our immigration system, and that is why we are deporting people with no right to be here at the highest rate in nearly a decade.”
A Leicester City Council spokesperson said: “Housing officers visited this property today and met with the tenant who has been registered at this address for more than 15 years.
“We have no records of a Twana Jamal or Twana Pasha living there.”