BBC Identifies Kardo Muhammad Amen Jaf, Alias Kardo Ranya, Behind Most Channel Crossings

A BBC investigation identified Kardo Muhammad Amen Jaf, 28, as the people smuggler behind a network believed to coordinate most illegal Channel crossings in recent years, operating under the alias "Kardo Ranya."

“- Published A leading people smuggler, whose network is believed to be responsible for the majority of illegal cross-Channel journeys in recent years, has been unmasked by a BBC investigation”

BBC

The BBC said the 28-year-old Iraqi Kurd evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real name closely guarded, which it said frustrated law enforcement agencies in their efforts to issue an international warrant.

BBC

The investigation traced him from migrant camps on the northern French coast to Iraqi Kurdistan, where the BBC said he is believed to be from and where the region is described as "riddled with active smuggling networks" in a 2024 Chatham House report.

The BBC also reported that Kardo Ranya is believed to operate routes stretching from Afghanistan to the UK and that a smuggler in a French migrant camp said the network controlling the cross-Channel trade was often referred to as the "Ranya Boys."

A former smuggler told the BBC that Kardo Ranya's network charges about "€17,000 (£15,000)" to transport a migrant from Iraq to the UK, and that the network claims to offer a safer journey and a VIP service for those who can pay.

The BBC said Kardo Ranya posted videos tempting customers with images of luxury in London and testimonies from apparently satisfied customers who had already made the journey to the UK.

Courrier international

When confronted by the BBC team, the Irish Sun reported that Jaf denied being a smuggler and said he only advised people hoping to leave Iraq, adding that he said he did not think he had committed an offence.

The Irish Sun also said the network charges approximately "€17,000 (£15,000)" for a migrant to be transported from Iraq to the UK, with an optional VIP package costing around "£160,000 for a whole family."

The BBC said small-boat crossings became the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020, and it reported that nearly all those arriving this way claim asylum and that almost all those making the journey are aged under 40.

“A leading people smuggler, whose criminal network is suspected of coordinating most illegal Channel crossings in recent years, has been identified following an extensive BBC investigation”

The Business Standard

The BBC reported that men and boys made up nearly nine in 10 small boat arrivals between 2018 and 2025 and that there were "103,426" people in asylum accommodation as of December 2025, including hotels, houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) or former military sites.

In Iraqi Kurdistan, Courrier international said Kurdish internal security forces arrested Barzan Majeed, alias "Scorpion," on Sunday, May 12, and it described him as one of Europe’s best-known smugglers of migrants.

Courrier international said the "Scorpion" network was believed to have controlled a large part of migrant trafficking between Europe and the United Kingdom between 2016 and 2021, and it reported that at least 26 of its members were arrested and convicted in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom.