By Robert Booth
The Guardian, Friday 5 June 2009
The leaders of an Afghan criminal network which smuggled in hundreds of compatriots to work in pizza takeaways were jailed today for terms ranging between seven and 12 years.
Abdul Hameed Sakhizada, 32, and his brother Ahmed Shah Sakhizada, 23, both of Northampton, and Abdul Wakil Niazi, 35, of Tunbridge Wells, Kent, ran what police believe to be one of the most lucrative smuggling networks uncovered in Britain.
The gang is known to be responsible for smuggling 230 Afghans into Europe; around half to the UK. The network operated for at least three years and detectives recorded Abdul Sakhizada claiming he smuggled at least 1,800 people into Europe in just over two months.
Sakhizada, who was jailed for nine years at Kingston crown court, south-west London for conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration, was told by Judge Welchman: "You, as you boasted, were the smuggler of Europe."
Niazi and Ahmed Sakhizada were also convicted of facilitating illegal immigration as well as conspiracy to launder the proceeds of crime. They were sentenced to 12 years and seven years.
The gang used agents to smuggle Afghans across Iran and Turkey, by sea to Greece and then, hidden in the backs of freight lorries, across Europe to Britain. Many paid off debts to their smugglers by working in a chain of 16 pizza takeaways in which the gang were involved. These included branches of well-known franchises Tops Pizza, GoGo Pizza and Perfect Pizza across southern England.
The smuggled Afghans often lived above the shops sleeping on rugs and fed on pizza until their debts were cleared by baking and delivering pizzas. They earned as little as £150 a week, while their typical debt to the ring was £5,000.
Abdul Sakhizada specialised in smuggling Afghans by sea from Turkey to the Greek islands, while Niazi operated the network of smugglers across Europe. The court heard that some of the smuggled Afghans were in debt bondage to Niazi. Ahmed Sakhizada provided false documents and transferred funds overseas.
The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (Soca), which led the investigation, estimated the gang earned between £200,000 and £300,000 from 2005 to 2008 when they were arrested.
On one occasion Sakhizada spoke of 10 people having arrived and taking $30,000 to $40,000. In a later conversation he discussed taking $38,700 to smuggle 43 people from Iran to Turkey, and $27,000 to move 34 from Turkey to Greece. He chased money transfers, hired ship captains and even fielded complaints from disgruntled relatives of passengers.
Before establishing their operation, Niazi and Abdul Sakhizada were themselves smuggled into the country. Niazi travelled from Parwan province in northern Afghanistan to Britain in the back of a lorry in 1999 and Sakhizada was smuggled from Mazir-el-Sharif but was deported from the UK once in 2003. He returned in a lorry in 2007. Immigration authorities granted them indefinite leave to remain.
Soca investigators uncovered evidence of 175 Afghans who worked in takeaways which provided guaranteed labour to ensure they would repay debts. During raids they discovered lists and notes relating to the men, their debts and earnings.
Sakhizada boasted that other vessels would sink with loss of life but his never did. He also offered to send clients across again without charge if they were caught and police recorded him saying he sent 20 people from his home town for free.
Keith Hadrill, defending Abdul Sakhizada, said: "He felt he was undertaking humanitarian aid to assist others to overcome the harshness of reality in their home country."
A 27-year-old Afghan man now working under new management at Tops Pizza in Tunbridge Wells, which used to be run by Niazi, said: "Niazi was a good person. They charged him as a people smuggler, but it was nothing like that. He would take people to the doctor and give work to people."
The raids in January uncovered 52 illegal workers, 42 of whom were claiming asylum, awaiting removal or had been allowed to remain. Ten who were unknown to the authorities are in custody.
Ali Yazdi, director of Topps Pizza, said his company had no idea Niazi was operating from their outlet in Tunbridge Wells.
Shar Shah, manager of Pizza Go Go head office, said: "We have no involvement in any of these wrong doings."
Perfect Pizza declined to comment.
URL: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jun/05/afghan-gang-pizza-takeaways
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