UK Imposes Sanctions on Kurdish Smuggling Networks in Crackdown on Illegal Migration

London, KurdFile – In a significant move targeting transnational human trafficking networks, the British government has announced its first global sanctions specifically aimed at people-smuggling operations with particular focus on Kurdish individuals from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

Unveiled on Wednesday, the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) imposed financial and travel sanctions on 25 individuals and entities accused of facilitating irregular migration to Britain. The sanctions mark the start of a new global regime designed to combat immigration-related crime.

Among the most prominent names listed are Iraqi Kurds alleged to be central figures in smuggling migrants through Europe and across the English Channel. This includes Goran Assad Jalal and Hemin Ali Salih, who are accused of using lorries to transport migrants into the UK. Others, such as Azad Khoshnaw and Nuzad Khoshnaw, allegedly supplied inflatable boats and engines used in dangerous Channel crossings.

Three Kurdish individuals were also sanctioned for allegedly running hawala-based financial networks used to move migrant payments undetected. Muhammed Khadir Pirot is believed to have handled migrant payments moving through Turkey toward Europe, while Mariwan Jamal and Rafiq Shaqlaway are accused of facilitating these funds through unregulated channels. These informal systems, according to UK officials, have been critical in sustaining smuggling operations and are now being cut off from the UK financial system.

“This action shows the UK will pursue smugglers wherever they are,” said UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, stating that the country is committed to using all tools to prevent the exploitation of vulnerable people.

The British government says the sanctions target individuals and groups involved in a range of illegal activities, including the provision of maritime smuggling equipment, forged documentation, and the coordination of trafficking routes into the UK.

Beyond Iraqi Kurdish figures, the sanctions list includes individuals from Albania, Serbia, North Africa, and China. Notably, the UK sanctioned a Chinese manufacturer, Weihai Yamar Outdoors Product Co., for promoting small boats allegedly intended for illegal crossings.

The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) is working closely with international partners to dismantle these networks. NCA Director General Graeme Biggar described the sanctions as “a powerful new tool” to target the financial and logistical foundations of human trafficking.

This initiative is part of the UK’s broader “disrupt, deter, return” migration strategy, which also includes removing undocumented individuals. According to government figures, over 35,000 people without legal status have been returned since the last election a 13% increase from the previous year.

The full list of sanctioned individuals and companies is available on gov.uk, and Parliament is expected to review the regime later this year.

As part of its national security and immigration control efforts, the UK has made clear that it will not tolerate criminal smuggling operations including those rooted in the Kurdistan Region profiting from the desperation of migrants seeking safety and opportunity abroad.