Hunting trafficking's big boss inside Kurdistan's smuggling hotspot

Noura is as talkative and quick-witted as any 15-year-old, but her life couldn’t be further from that of a typical teenager.

She spends her time scrutinising maritime weather apps, waiting for the day when calm wind and waves means she and her family, who come from Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, can make their seventh attempt to cross the English Channel from northern France.

They will pay thousands of euros to risk the 50km journey across one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes in a tiny death-trap dinghy, a journey which has claimed hundreds of lives in the past decade. Last year alone, almost 37,000 migrants attempted the crossing, with 77 dying at sea.

Noura, who dreams of becoming a doctor, is reliant on an illegal, international enterprise exploiting those desperate for a new life in Europe.

The source of the operation, which transports people thousands of kilometres across borders, can be traced to specific towns in the Kurdish-controlled north of Iraq.

For six months, The National has been investigating the enterprise, using court documents, interviews with victims, NGOs and investigators, plus visiting the headquarters of the criminals, to piece together how it operates and expose the masterminds making a fortune.

We can reveal:

The operation's Kurdish kingpin has gone into hiding after being spooked by a joint crackdown by UK and Iraqi authorities
The Kurdish town of Ranya, and neighbouring Sulaymaniyah and Qaladze, lie at the heart of the network stretching from Iraq to western Europe
Direct connections between Ranya, a migrant camp in France, and a carwash in Caerphilly, Wales
How migrants in northern France look to the big boss in northern Iraq to get across the English Channel
How Hawala-based shadow money transfers are the key to the trade in people

Leaving Kurdistan

Noura, whose name has been changed, requested anonymity out of fear that the interview may jeopardise her family's asylum request, either in the UK or France.

Along with her hairdresser mother and taxi driver father, who are in their 40s, and sisters aged 13 and eight, she is determined to make it to the UK, where they have family living in Sheffield and Birmingham. The children speak almost perfect English learnt from YouTube.

The family’s odyssey across Europe began by travelling legally from Ranya by bus to Turkey. They then tried to reach Italy by boat but were diverted to Greece after four days. Next they used fake Spanish IDs to fly to Rome before boarding trains to Lyon and on to Calais.

Ranya, a district in the Iraqi Kurdish region, is where the kingpin behind an international people smuggling criminal network, Bakhtiar, lived before going underground. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Ranya, a district in the Iraqi Kurdish region, is where the kingpin behind an international people smuggling criminal network, Bakhtiar, lived before going underground. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

At first, they lived in hotels, then in the squalid and frequently dangerous camp known as The Jungle, where many smugglers operate, before finding another place to stay about 30km from the coast.

The exhausted family’s existence is a nerve-wracking experience of waiting to be summoned by smugglers, trekking hours to the beach, hiding in bushes in sub-zero temperatures, only for something to go wrong.

So far, they have been foiled by a combination of French police, smugglers disappearing and, on one occasion, aborting their plans when Noura had a panic attack caused by a phobia of water she developed after the family nearly drowned attempting to cross the Mediterranean to Italy. “I was like ‘nope I’m not getting in the boat’," she said. "It was really cold. The water was up to my knees and I said ‘oh my God I’m drowning’. If it wasn’t for me, we would be in England.”

Their most recent attempt ended when police wearing anti-riot gear caught them and used knives to slash the boat. Eyewitnesses described these police interventions as a violent experience.

French authorities disperse a group of migrants seeking to cross the channel from Hardelot-Plage in October 2024. Video: Utopia 56

Seeking 'Bakhtiar's' favour

In the smuggling business, trust is important. As well as co-ordinating with accomplices on the ground to guide migrants to a boat, smugglers are also expected to inform relatives if anything happens to them during the journey.

But they also inspire fear. Choosing a bad smuggler, who may rob migrants, use non-seaworthy equipment, have incomplete knowledge of the coast's geography or get in a gunfight with other smugglers, can lead to death. Some kingpins appear to enjoy a favourable reputation among migrants for getting the job done.

"He’s famous of course, because he’s the boss. He controls all France, that’s what they say."
Noura, a migrant from the Iraqi Kurdish region

Noura is both fearful and impressed by smugglers. “I’ve seen a smuggler leading us wearing a gendarme outfit so no-one would capture him. He was so smart.” But she has also witnessed a shooting incident between two rival gangs. "There are so many reasons for being afraid. Last time I tried [to cross into the UK], three men were shot by the [smuggling] leader, because they were trying to follow us and call the police on us. There's a lot of violence and illegal stuff happening.”

An inflatable dinghy carrying about 65 migrants across the English Channel in March 2024. Migrants can drown or be caught in the middle of shoot outs between rival smuggling gangs when making the dangerous journey. Getty Images

An inflatable dinghy carrying about 65 migrants across the English Channel in March 2024. Migrants can drown or be caught in the middle of shoot outs between rival smuggling gangs when making the dangerous journey. Getty Images

But Noura is familiar with one name in particular: “Bakhtiar”.

She nods quickly when she hears the name. “He’s famous of course, because he’s the boss. He controls all France, that’s what they say,” Noura said. Fellow migrants “want him to do the job because he has the best quality boats” and that they “know he’ll do the job, 100 per cent”. She added: “Most smugglers in France don’t fight with each other or take each others’ areas, Bakhtiar takes care of that.”

Bakhtiar was also named as “the boss” in court documents relating to the trial of 33 people smugglers in Lille, France, which revealed the connection with the Iraqi Kurdish region.

The main defendant, Mirkhan Rasoul, was described by a judge as a “merchant of death” as he became the most important smuggler yet to be convicted in a trial in France. He oversaw the French arm of the network on behalf of Bakhtiar, who, like him, hailed from the town of Ranya.

Authorities seize dinghies and arrest people involved in an international people smuggling operation in France. The smugglers went on to be convicted in a court in Lille. Photo: NCA

Authorities seize dinghies and arrest people involved in an international people smuggling operation in France. The smugglers went on to be convicted in a court in Lille. Photo: NCA

In an interview with police, Rasoul, 27, told officers: “The boss was in Iraq, it’s Bakhtiar, he lives in Ranya. I don’t know his family name because he’s older than me. He’s 40-50 years old.”

Another one of the smugglers told law enforcement he had participated in migrant trafficking since August 2021 by taking charge of people coming from Kurdistan sent to him by Bakhtiar. A third said his boss was someone known as “Bakhtiar living in Iraq”.

Rasoul was handed a 15-year sentence for his part in the operation which he carried out from his prison cell, where he was already serving a sentence for attempted murder.

His cousin Haydar Hemin, 26, who goes by the name Nato, was also jailed. Others convicted were from Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and other places in Kurdistan. Others from the region were jailed in Belgium and the UK.

Deadly but lucrative trade

French investigators estimated Rasoul’s yearly income at more than $3.5 million, with each person in a small boat paying between $1,500 and $2,000 per crossing. "I have three mobile phones ... policemen are really nice," Rasoul said in a phone conversation, according to official transcripts. They also recorded him discussing how much money a smuggler could make, which he said would be "enough to get married and buy a house in Sulaymaniyah".

Ranya is one of three areas in Sulaymaniya at the heart of an international people smuggling network to the UK. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Ranya is one of three areas in Sulaymaniya at the heart of an international people smuggling network to the UK. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Kamel Abbas, a well-established Lille lawyer involved in the trial, has extensive experience defending smugglers. Sitting in his cigarette smoke-filled office a few months after the trial, Mr Abbas said: "These people come from poor areas in Iraq. They are given money, nice cars and have luxury villas built back home. Maybe they get carried away and think that they will never get caught."

The smuggling routes

Kurdish smugglers provide several services, from a place on a boat to a full package to securing visas and fake passports, most of which are believed to be made in Turkey, a key location in the network.

A wide range of well-trodden routes exist to take migrants across Iran and Turkey to the borders of Europe, hidden in cars and lorries. Many work illegally along the way to pay for the next stage of their journey.

When they get to Europe, there’s a variety of methods they can use to get across borders and through the continent. Some can afford transport, while for many there is no other option than to walk.

Prosecutors during the trial of convicted smugglers Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir outlined the different routes and methods used to smuggle migrants into Europe.

A travel agent in Qaladze that The National agreed to call Miran, who used to be involved in the people smuggling business, helping make financial transactions and organising visas, said the route through Russia to Europe is now easier than the traditional one of Turkey and then Italy.

“Prior to the crackdown on smuggling gangs, I helped 15-20 people leave in one go but the route has become more difficult because obtaining a visa for Turkey is harder,” he said.

His brother-in-law recently received residency in Germany, which he reached via Russia.

He spent three months in the cold forests of Belarus “eating nothing but mushrooms he picked” before crossing into Poland to be picked up from the border in “taxis” by local drivers hired by Kurds.

“It’s very cold and the journey cannot be made with children or by the elderly, they’re all usually in their 20s,” he said.

Hunting the man behind it all

Ranya lies near the shores of the Dukan lake in the Iraqi Kurdish region, about 115km east of Erbil and a similar distance north of Sulaymaniyah.

Locals say the town has been neglected since Saddam Hussein’s armed forces bombed it with napalm in 1974. It has never really recovered, economically, leaving little job prospects.

According to researchers at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime, it had all the ingredients to become a people-smuggling hotspot.

“The Kurds have always been in a precarious situation: as a millions-strong minority with ambitions for an independent state, they have often led an uneasy existence in their home countries – as one Kurdish saying puts it, they have ‘no friends but the mountains’,” says its report Small Boats, Big Business.

“Over the years, these dynamics have resulted in varying forms of repression and persecution, which has driven an exodus of Kurds (often facilitated by smugglers) to Europe and elsewhere, creating diaspora communities that serve as a positive feedback cycle for further waves of migration.”

A garage in Said Sadiq, in the Iraqi Kurdish region, owned by a people smuggler with connections to the UK. Photo: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime

A garage in Said Sadiq, in the Iraqi Kurdish region, owned by a people smuggler with connections to the UK. Photo: Global Initiative Against Transnational Organised Crime

While exploring the ties between the Iraqi Kurdish region and the UK, the organisation discovered a garage in the town of Said Sadiq, which is owned by a people smuggler who made his fortune transporting migrants to the UK.

In a tribute to the country, the lure of which has allowed him to so amply line his pockets, a Union Jack flag flutters over the garage, along with ones of the EU and Kurdistan. He has also built a large house from the profits of smuggling in the town.

Links with the UK, a former colonial power, remain strong, and about 70,000 to 100,000 Iraqi Kurds live in Britain today. "People leave for two main reasons: instability along the border with Iraq or because they don't believe anymore in a better future for the country," said Ali Dolamari, who represents the Kurdistan Regional Government in Paris.

In Kurdistan, where monthly salaries do not exceed $400 a month, there is also a perception of wealth in Europe, even though well-paying jobs are scarce for migrants. "People think they'll be able to send money back home to relatives," said Mr Dolamari. "Before coming to Europe, I thought that Europeans lived like kings. I didn't realise that many struggled in small flats, working long hours."

Desperate to leave

One local man, who was willing to speak when The National arrived in Ranya, explained why the desire to leave was so powerful for young people, even if it meant risking their lives.

“A large number want to leave because of the lack of job opportunities,” said Shaho Kamal, 24. “People resort to these dangerous methods because of no visas. The bad economic situation pushes the youth towards these dangerous routes.”

Ahmed Hassan, head of the Raparin Youth Organisation, which aims to help young people find opportunities, says many are encouraged by their families to leave when they reach 16 or 17.

Ahmed Hassan, head of the Raparin Youth Organisation, acknowledges there are few career opportunities for young people in the Iraqi Kurdish region. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Ahmed Hassan, head of the Raparin Youth Organisation, acknowledges there are few career opportunities for young people in the Iraqi Kurdish region. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

“There is nothing to do even if you’re smart and have potential. Your options are either to work in a market, a tea shop or a cafe,” he said. “Young people are often reprimanded at home for not having a job, making them feel useless and as if their only option is to leave.

“Many families view them as a source of income, believing they will earn more if they leave.”

The large Kurdish community already in the UK makes it a draw for migrants willing to make the long and treacherous journey, he said.

“The UK is the ideal option because finding work is easier, there are benefits and the language is easier [than other countries], Hassan said. "There is also a large Kurdish community that can help with finding a job or accommodation.”

In the office of the Association of Migrants Returning from Europe, an organisation set up in a house near the centre of the town, one of the rooms has been turned into a memorial for people from the town who died after deciding to risk it all.

Bakr Ali keeps a memorial wall of the migrants that have died attempting to travel to Europe, in the Association of Migrants Returning from Europe's headquarters in Ranya. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Bakr Ali keeps a memorial wall of the migrants that have died attempting to travel to Europe, in the Association of Migrants Returning from Europe's headquarters in Ranya. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

The head of the organisation, Bakr Ali, was inspired to set up the memorial by the loss of a friend on the journey to Europe. On the walls there are many photos, including of children, most recently from a shipwreck in Lampedusa in June 2024.

“The first death we started recording was in 1999 and we want people to understand how many people die on this journey and to help those who are deported,” he said.

Tackling the root causes

Regional autonomy from Baghdad means the Kurdistan Regional Government has a key role in stopping the people trade. Its Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani told The National he recognised that there was a real desire among some citizens to seek opportunities abroad through illegal channels, stemming from "complex, multi-faceted challenges, including limited job opportunities and economic hardships".

The KRG has developed a comprehensive three-year plan to address the root causes of migration beyond security measures, he said, by boosting jobs, encouraging entrepreneurship and supporting community initiatives to make the area more attractive.
"Targeting smugglers alone will not eliminate the root causes of illegal migration. Smugglers are symptoms of deeper, underlying issues such as the perception of an easier life somewhere else, economic hardship and lack of opportunities," he said.

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, says stopping the smugglers is not enough and the government must tackle the root of the problem. Getty Images

Qubad Talabani, Deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan region, says stopping the smugglers is not enough and the government must tackle the root of the problem. Getty Images

Few signs of those official efforts are apparent in the centre of Ranya. Unlike Erbil and Sulaymaniyah where residential projects, highways, restaurants and bars line the city, Ranya appears to have been stuck in time.

A day before The National visited, a suspected Turkish drone strike killed four people on the main highway leading into Ranya.

“On one side there is no money, on the other side we get bombed. The government does nothing to help us,” Haji Ahmed, an elderly local said, gaining nods of approval from the other men around him in the park. “It doesn’t matter which party it is, there is no money,” he said, referring to the two ruling parties of the Iraqi Kurdish region – the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan.

A sense of lawlessness is prevalent in the main park of the city that is well-known as a meeting point between people smugglers and migrants.

At about noon, groups of men hang around exchanging gossip and sipping thick amber tea. There are barely any women in sight. When The National visited, a man on a bike stopped to talk.

We asked where we may be able to find a people smuggler. A familiar name popped up: Bakhtiar.

A park in Ranya, well known for being a meeting point between smugglers and migrants. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

A park in Ranya, well known for being a meeting point between smugglers and migrants. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

The cyclist, who asked not to be identified, revealed he had been a smuggler in the UK and “lived there for several years”. His family still live in the UK, he said. He believes Bakhtiar “was involved in a shooting a few days ago and fled to Iran”, which is about an hour’s drive away.

Near the town’s Grand Mosque, on a gravel street with no pavement, a dollar market is packed with mobile phone shops, food stalls and men sitting on stools at small tables laden with piles of money, among them Iraqi dinars, dollars and Turkish lira.

Money, as with any criminal enterprise, is central to the smuggling operation. Money exchanges using the hawala "trust" system are used to transfer funds between smugglers and their "customers".

A few inquiries revealed the name of Bakhtiar’s money exchange shop, Qandil, and its location in the basement of a nearby building.

When The National visited, two young men working at the counter seemed panicked when asked for Bakhtiar’s whereabouts, looking at each other for guidance.

“He’s not here and hasn’t been here for a while. We don’t know where he is,” said one.

The entrance to several money exchanges, including Bakhtiar's offices, in Ranya. The National

The entrance to several money exchanges, including Bakhtiar's offices, in Ranya. The National

When asked about the shop’s involvement in the smuggling network, the two denied any knowledge of it and pointed towards a sign stuck on the glass window. It was a notice from local authorities calling on all money shops to ensure they do not engage in smuggling-related activities.

They did not allow The National to take photos of the sign or the shop.

Outside in the market, a man also says Bakhtiar has not been seen since raids by the UK’s National Crime Agency in January led to three arrests.

Bakhtiar has slipped the net.

Car-wash connections

While the kingpin remains an elusive figure, the people smuggling business is clearly the town’s life blood.

The National's journey to Ranya is rooted more than 4,800km away on the western edge of Europe. UK court documents from the trial of Shamo, 41, and Khdir, 40, who had set up a business in a far western corner of Europe, South Wales, revealed that investigators from the UK’s top crime agency established there were "various money exchange addresses" that were "linked to Ranya in Iraq” through which payments underpinning the trafficking trade were made.

Surrounded by rolling hills, Caerphilly is about a 30-minute drive from the city of Cardiff, the capital of Wales.

On a road leading into town sits the Fast Track Car Wash, doing brisk business from 8am each day for the two men and one woman who pounce to wash the queuing cars.

But the innocuous appearance of the premises conceals its past: a front for people smuggling.

Fast Track Car Wash in Caerphilly, Wales, was used as a cover for a people smuggling operation by Kurdish criminals Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khidr. The National

Fast Track Car Wash in Caerphilly, Wales, was used as a cover for a people smuggling operation by Kurdish criminals Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khidr. The National

The car wash was used by Shamo, an Iraqi Kurd, and Khdir, also Kurdish and from Iran, before they were arrested by the NCA. The pair switched their plea during their trial at Cardiff Crown Court to admit organising people smuggling.

Their role was akin to travel agents as they drummed up business through videos, usually on TikTok, Telegram and Instagram, with Tripadvisor-style endorsements from migrants. The prosecution said that “as with any large international business, it takes several people operating different roles to co-ordinate the operation”.

Migrants film themselves in a Tripadvisor-style review for the services of people-smugglers Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir. Video: NCA

Migrants film themselves in a Tripadvisor-style review for the services of people-smugglers Dilshad Shamo and Ali Khdir. Video: NCA

Some acquire and recruit individuals to be trafficked, some deal with taking deposits while some store the legitimate Iraqi, Iranian or Syrian passports before travel.

There are also those who operate as co-ordinators for the journey, while others work as the taxi drivers, HGV drivers or ship operators who carry out the transportation.

Deals in plain sight

One of the money exchanges named in Shamo and Khdir’s case belongs to Mohammed Sangasari. His business also sits in the dollar market in Ranya, facing the mosque. It is easy to identify, with his own name above the door.

Money shops line the streets of Ranya's Dollar Market to assist payments between smugglers and migrants. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

Money shops line the streets of Ranya's Dollar Market to assist payments between smugglers and migrants. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

The clean and tidy shop was busy with customers and four men working on computers behind the cashier desk.

Next to them stood grey-haired Mr Sangasari, in his grey kawa w pantol – the dungaree-like traditional Kurdish dress – and a black and white jamana scarf. He confirmed who he was when we skipped the queue to talk to him.

The business card of Mohammed Sangasari, given to The National by court prosecutors and that led the investigation back to Ranya. Photo: CPS

The business card of Mohammed Sangasari, given to The National by court prosecutors and that led the investigation back to Ranya. Photo: CPS

He appeared taken aback and immediately closed down the conversation when we informed him he had been named as a smuggler in a UK court case.

“We don’t do this work nor have we ever done it,” he said, while scrolling on his mobile phone and avoiding eye contact.

Low profile

In the nearby town of Qaladze, former smuggling gang Miran said the jailing of one person in particular has resulted in a chilling effect in the region. The news would be welcomed by the British authorities who last year signed an anti-smuggling pact with the KRG.

A cafe in Qaladze. The district is one of three in the Iraqi Kurdish region that lie at the heart of an international people smuggling network to Europe. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

A cafe in Qaladze. The district is one of three in the Iraqi Kurdish region that lie at the heart of an international people smuggling network to Europe. Aymen Al-Ameri / The National

As a first scalp, the arrest of Amanj Zada, 35, was an impressive breakthrough. Zada, who was sentenced to 17 years, featured in a YouTube video at a party with musicians singing in Kurdish, feting him as “the best smuggler” while he throws cash at them and fires a gun in the air in celebration. The recent arrests locally were of men alleged to be part of his network.

Three men, who were part of Amanj Zada's network, are arrested in a joint operation between the NCA and Kurdish forces. Photo: NCA

Three men, who were part of Amanj Zada's network, are arrested in a joint operation between the NCA and Kurdish forces. Photo: NCA

“Ever since Amanj was taken, smugglers are keeping a low profile,” said Miran. “They used to advertise on Facebook and Tiktok, posting videos of themselves or of people on boats cheering their names.”

Among those who have gone to ground is Bakhtiar, he reveals, confirming what others have said.

A screengrab from a YouTube video showing Amanj Zada shooting his gun in celebration as people call him 'the best smuggler' at a party. Photo: NCA

A screengrab from a YouTube video showing Amanj Zada shooting his gun in celebration as people call him 'the best smuggler' at a party. Photo: NCA

“Most of the smugglers and their money were with Bakhtiar at Qandil but no-one knows where he is,” he says. Others nod towards the mountains that lead to Iran.

But he added the breakthrough arrests had not solved the problem, as it was only foot soldiers who were caught. “Families of those arrested are frightened to speak because those who are caught are not usually the smugglers but the intermediaries,” he said.

Crackdown intensifying

The NCA’s recent involvement in an operation came after the UK’s Home Secretary Yvette Cooper signed an agreement with the Iraqi government at the end of last year. It was the first time NCA officers set foot in Iraq.

The deal is a recognition that the Iraqi Kurdish region has become a centre for people smuggling, with its gangs controlling operations on French shores.

The action was part of a pledge by Britain’s Labour government when it took office after July’s general election to “smash the gangs” and stem the flow of migrants crossing the English Channel.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shimmari in Erbil in November 2024 to sign a joint statement on border security. Getty Images

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and Iraqi Interior Minister Abdul Amir Al Shimmari in Erbil in November 2024 to sign a joint statement on border security. Getty Images

The politically charged problem has been the bane of successive governments. A plan to send asylum seekers arriving by small boat to Rwanda, put forward by the previous Conservative administration, came unstuck in the courts.

In its place, Labour is promising a law-and-order-focused approach that it says will tackle the people smuggling gangs in the same way that terrorism was dealt with.

New legislation will give investigators sweeping powers to tackle those even suspected of being involved with people smuggling, for example, if their numbers are found on mobile phones of those being smuggled. All of this will be overseen by a Border Force Command.

Twinned in misery

The connection with the Iraqi Kurdish region was laid out in Global Initiative’s study, which examines what it describes as the “industrialisation” of the cross-Channel smuggling trade.

Iraqi Kurdish groups took over from Iranian criminals in about 2019.

Territory along the coast is divided according to the smugglers’ home towns, such as Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Ranya and Sharazoor.

Smugglers from Ranya are twinned with the area known as Pas-de-Calais, which includes the port of Calais, Sangatte and Dunkirk, the small town most famous as the site of the evacuation of more than 300,000 Allied troops from Europe during the Second World War.

It is in woods outside Dunkirk where the sprawling camp, The Jungle, is found.

A forest area on the outskirts of Dunkirk has become the location for a makeshift camp, known as the new Jungle, for migrants seeking to travel to Britain. Getty Images

A forest area on the outskirts of Dunkirk has become the location for a makeshift camp, known as the new Jungle, for migrants seeking to travel to Britain. Getty Images

Violent clashes between groups armed with AK-47s, grenades and revolvers are a defining feature of the Kurdish smuggling system, according to the Global Initiative researchers, with gunfire often heard.

It's a place best avoided by women and children. Noura remembered the violence and deprivation of her days spent there. "All the smugglers, they all have illegal stuff with them so it’s really hard for families," she said. "The police come to take your personal stuff and the cold – it's really horrible."

Any unfamiliar face walking through the tented areas dotted among the trees is greeted by suspicious stares.

The dozen or so migrants who The National spoke to in the camp all said they were relying on Kurdish people smugglers to organise their journey, operating in the shadows to get them onto boats.

“The Kurdish come at night with the masks on their faces,” said an Afghani 17-year-old. “They say ‘get ready in 10 minutes’. When we speak they say to us ‘don’t speak’."

Unforgiving beaches and the turbulent sea

About 50km west of Dunkirk lies Sangatte, a town that has witnessed the worst the smuggling crisis has wrought. Britain is just 37km away, making it the departure point for the shortest route to England. When The National visited, the beaches still had fresh footprints and marks where boats had been dragged.

Footprints of migrants heading out to attempt to cross the English Channel from Sangatte beach. Sunniva Rose / The National

Footprints of migrants heading out to attempt to cross the English Channel from Sangatte beach. Sunniva Rose / The National

The currents are also strong, so accidents happen close to the shoreline, with the increasing numbers of migrants cramming into each boat also a factor in the rising death toll.

Mayor of Sangatte Guy Allemand was running half an hour late to meet The National, but the reason brought home the consequences of the deadly quest to cross the Channel.

Mr Allemand had been called out after the body of a Yemeni man had been found that morning on a beach after he had drowned trying to make the crossing. As Mayor, he is under no legal obligation to be there, but says “it’s my duty as an elected official”.

Guy Allemand, Mayor of Sangatte, insists on being present when the body of a migrant is found on the beach. Photo: Sangatte City Hall

Guy Allemand, Mayor of Sangatte, insists on being present when the body of a migrant is found on the beach. Photo: Sangatte City Hall

Over the years he’s seen migrants try to make it to the UK by tying surfboards together, with life jackets made out of empty water bottles. Gardening tools are stolen from local properties then transformed into makeshift paddles.

He sees migrants, many with babies, emerge 80 at a time from the sand dunes to line up to make the journey, even when the temperatures are below 0°C.

Sometimes the quickest way to retrieve bodies from the sea is for them to be scooped up in the bucket of a digger, to avert the risk of a rising tide washing them away. Bodies can lie in the morgue for months unclaimed.

The final resting place is often the Muslim cemetery in Calais. Currently, it contains 15 fresh graves of migrants who paid the ultimate price for seeking a better life.

Migrants are buried in the Muslim section of the Calais South Cemetery, in November 2021. Getty Images

Migrants are buried in the Muslim section of the Calais South Cemetery, in November 2021. Getty Images

“If the body is not claimed, everything is the responsibility of the municipality to cover the funeral,” explains Mr Allemand.

He said local mayors agree that since last summer, when the new UK government announced its clampdown, the clashes with the police have been increasingly violent. “They absolutely want to get through with the boat,” he said.

“Local residents are jaded because we have been experiencing this phenomenon for 30 years and we are seeing more and more hordes of migrants arriving.”

They hide in groves or at the foot of dikes for shelter, he said, before they leave their belongings. “They leave everything. Everything has to be picked up,” he said.

French authorities recover the body of a migrant washed ashore a beach in Sangatte, France, in January 2025. AFP

French authorities recover the body of a migrant washed ashore a beach in Sangatte, France, in January 2025. AFP

Chance and danger hand in hand

That dash to catch a boat is one Noura hopes to make once more, despite the obvious risks. There are powerful incentives to keep trying to cross to the UK. French authorities point at the fact that migrants can easily work without a residency permit, unlike in France. Asylum requests also have a higher chance of being approved in the UK.

But the family are on the verge of giving up, and settling in France, despite their wish to reach family across the sea.

Noura with The National's reporter Sunniva Rose at her temporary home in France. Though the family is aware of the risk, they still plan to journey to Britain. Marie Jo Sader for The National

Noura with The National's reporter Sunniva Rose at her temporary home in France. Though the family is aware of the risk, they still plan to journey to Britain. Marie Jo Sader for The National

Her parents paint an idealised picture of life in the UK that might come as a surprise to many people living there.

“My uncles, aunts and cousins are in England and they have a beautiful education system, amazing work and jobs and they have their rights, especially as girls and women, and I think that’s so perfect,” said Noura.

It’s a powerful reminder of the lure of the UK for people on her journey and the jeopardy they face to reach their promised land.

_Words_{Tariq Tahir, Sunniva Rose and Aveen Karim}
_Editors_{Damien McElroy and}_{Paul Carey}
_Video_{Aymen Al-Ameri and Marie Jo Sader}_{Video editor}_{Janelle Meager}_{Photo editor}_{Jake Badger}
_Data_{Fadah Jassem}_Animation_{Nour Hayani}_Design_{Nick Donaldson}
_{Sub editor}_{Gareth Butler}
_Producer_{Juman Jarallah}