21 defendants are on trial for people smuggling by boat

The Kurdish gang worked from Germany and smuggled transmigrants with rickety boats from France to the United Kingdom. The ringleaders risk up to fifteen years in prison.

Since the end of 2019, vehicles full of boats, outboard motors and life jackets have regularly been discovered in West Flanders. Especially on the west coast, many accomplices of human smuggling gangs were caught in this way. The vehicles usually appeared to be on their way from Germany to northern France.

Drivers and passengers were sentenced by the Bruges criminal court for human smuggling to terms of imprisonment ranging from thirty months to twelve years. On the basis of approximately forty different judicial investigations, the West Flemish Federal Judicial Police (FGP) was gradually able to identify a large human smuggling gang.

According to the public prosecutor’s office, the criminal organization often used rickety boats, dilapidated engines and unsuitable life jackets. The suspected leader of Iranian-Kurdish origin was arrested in early May 2022 while working in East London. Hewa R. (30) was handed over to Belgium a few months later and is in pre-trial detention. According to his lawyer Kris Vincke, R. still denies that he is the absolute leader of the gang. Subsequently, at the beginning of July 2022, a major campaign was launched to roll up the human smuggling organization in Germany.

By order of the Bruges investigating judge, 18 suspects were arrested and house searches were carried out in 36 places. 119 boats, 33 engines and 967 life jackets were found. The action mainly took place in the city of Osnabrück, in the state of Lower Saxony. On July 6, 2023, the council chamber ruled that 21 people must answer to the Bruges criminal court for their part in the gang.

Eleven defendants are still in prison. In addition to Hewa R., Bebak A. (41), Fryad K. (44) and Daban M. (37) are also regarded as leaders of the criminal organization. The men from Iraqi-Kurdish Erbil all lived in the Osnabrück region, from where they allegedly organized the smuggling. With the exception of Hewa R., all defendants lived in Germany, including Bielefeld, Bremen, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Duisburg, Dortmund and Mönchengladbach. Most of them have Iraqi nationality, but a few Germans, a Syrian and an Afghan were also referred to criminal court.

The trial was opened on August 7, but the defense asked for more time to study the file and put their views on paper. That is why the pleas only start today. Due to the size of the process, the assize court is diverted.

As usual, the civil party is the first to speak. Master Luc Arnou will claim compensation of 5,000 euros for the federal migration center Myria. This is followed by the closing statement of attorney Frank Demeester. The public prosecutor’s office can in theory demand up to fifteen years in prison for the gang leaders. In addition, the public prosecutor is claiming the confiscation of more than 277,000 euros, 157,000 British pounds and more than 82,000 US dollars. Then all lawyers of the defendants speak. If necessary, pleadings can also be held on Thursday and Friday.