Overview
- Maidstone Crown Court held a trial of the facts that concluded Nareman committed people-smuggling acts, and he remains in custody awaiting the court’s disposal decision in January.
- Ali Omar Karim, 47, from Portsmouth, pleaded guilty in June 2024 and is due for sentencing on January 8, 2026.
- A 20ft yacht ran aground near Rye Harbour on February 12, 2022, after which Border Force detained 14 migrants, including two children, from Iran, Iraq and Albania.
- Digital forensics linked Nareman, known to migrants as “Hama Kalari,” to organising crossings by yacht, small boats and HGVs, including maps of coastlines, images of passports and videos showing large sums of cash.
- Phone evidence showed route planning, weather monitoring and pricing, with messages indicating a lorry network across northern Europe and staged fees charged for journeys into the EU and from France to the UK.