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Law enforcement role for UK Border Agency clamping down on organised immigration crime

News Release issued by the COI News Distribution Service on 16 September 2009

Nearly More than 2,2600 drug smugglers, people traffickers and fraudsters have been prosecuted by new joint UK Border Agency and police teams since they were established in April 20081, Borders and Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said today.

These prosecutions, which took place in the last financial year, were highlighted at the first joint national UK Border Agency (UKBA) and Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) conference today in Birmingham.

AlmostOver 300 police officers have been seconded into UKBA Immigration Crime Teams across the country working to identify and, disrupt and tackle organised immigration crime including human trafficking, fraud and forgery. Since April this year more than £500,000 cash has been seized, helping to further disrupt criminal operators.

Phil Woolas also outlined a new greater push toward They are also using immigration legislationlaws to target known foreign national criminals s who are alleged to be involved in more serious offences including gang and knife crime.

Since April this year more than £500,000 cash has been seized, helping to further disrupt criminal operators.

Border and Immigration Minister, Phil Woolas, today heralded the UK Border Agency (UKBA) as the UK’s newest law enforcement agency during the first UKBA- Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Conference in Birmingham.

UKBA officers working with Police to tackle organised immigration crime prosecuted more than 2,200 offenders last financial year including drug smugglers, people traffickers and fraudsters.

Across the UK, high-harm offenders are a growing target for joint immigration-crime partnerships. Since April this year 43% of prosecutions have been for the most serious (category A) offences and more than £500,000 cash has been seized, helping to disrupt criminal operators.

Phil Woolas, Border and Immigration Minister, said:

“When people come to live in the UK they enter into a deal: to work hard and play by the rules to earn their right to stay. Those who choose to commit crimes break that deal and must be removed.

“As Al Capone found out, you only need one conviction to bring down a criminal house of cards. Immigration powers can prove the solution to prosecuting and removing foreign criminals from the UK.

“The UK Border Agency is responding to local community needs as a law enforcement agency. Our frontline staff work collaboratively with police, local authorities and government agencies. We are creating a hostile environment for organised criminals who prey on vulnerable immigrants and taking action against individuals who break the law.”

The UK Border Agency is a law enforcement agency with a single force at the border working ever more collaboratively with Officers police and other law enforcement agencies. estimate three-quarters of illegal migration is associated with organised crime. Our immigration crime partnerships are now in place with every ACPO region across the country. By supporting police and responding to communities, the UK Border Agency is using immigration laws protect our communities and prosecute and remove people from the UK.

“We are creating a hostile environment for organised criminals who prey on vulnerable immigrants and taking action against individuals who break the law.”

Officers and representatives from Today seconded Police and UKBA the officers, Ppolice, including ACPO/ ACPOS representatives from forces across the UKseconded to UKBA and representatives from ACPOthe Serious Organised Crime Agency and the UK Human Trafficking Agency met in Birmingham to discuss strategic and tactical action to combat criminal activity by foreign nationals including hubs for shared intelligence gathering, surveillance techniques and forensic support with key aims of disrupting and removing offenders.

The conference coincided with a large-scale joint UKBA and police operation (Operation Vestige) in the West Midlands to arrest a number of Jamaican nationals suspected of taking part in sham marriages.

The “Eliot Ness” strategy is one way of enforcing the deal with immigrants to the UK. By supporting Police and responding to communities, the UKBA can offer immigration solutions to prosecute or remove people from the UK.

There are currently 300 Police officers seconded to the UKBA in addition to working closely with forces at ports and airports.

Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police and ACPO lead for immigration Graham Maxwell said:

“Immigration is a key concern to the community and the work carried out through the joint UK Border Agency and Police partnerships has sent a clear message to those foreign criminals who think they can flout our immigration laws - if you are committing a crime you will be caught and you will be removed from the UK.

“By working together we have been able to co-ordinate our efforts to weed out those who cause the most harm in our communities.”

Case Studies of prosecutions Examples of results achieved by UKBA-Police Immigration Crime TeamsPartnerships across the UK.

East Midlands - In November 2008, a consignment of 4000 counterfeit French passport pages was intercepted at Heathrow Airport en route to an address in Leicester. A covert policing method was employed and three people were arrested under the ID Cards Act.

On January 23 2009, two addresses were visited in Leicester. A Filipino national called Brando SIBAYAN and an Indian national called Mandip SHARMA were arrested in what was clearly an extremely large and well developed document counterfeiting business. Laminates, threads, covers, holgrams, fiscal stamps, wet ink stamps and hundreds of finished and partially finished documents were recovered along with all the paraphernalia necessary for their construction. The forgers had kept records of every identity they had produced and materials for the production of over 5000 documents were seized. A £3000 cash seizure was made under the Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA). On 07/05/09, the two pleaded guilty and were sentenced to four years each in prison. PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE.

London (Southall) - Operation Oxbridge, undertaken in May 2008 foiled Britain's biggest ever visa scam, whereby thousands of students gained entry to the UK with fake documents.

This scam was orchestrated by a Jatinder Kumar SHARMA, and his two wives Rahki SHAHI and Neelam SHARMA. They ran a company called Univisas which provided would-be immigrants with counterfeit qualifications and documents to aid immigration applications in exchange for cash.

During a raid on the perpetrators home and business premises in Southall, west London, officers seized thousands of counterfeit documents including false university qualifications, academic certificates and payslips. They also discovered hundreds of stamps used in production and more than £22,000 in cash. Following a four week trial at Isleworth Crown Court in May 2009, the following sentences were passed. PHOTOGRAPHS AVAILABLE.

* Rahki SHAHI - sentenced to 8 years imprisonment and recommended for deportation;
* Jatinder Kumar SHARMA - sentenced to 7 yrs and recommended for deportation (credit given for pleading guilty);
* Neelam SHARMA - sentenced to 4 years and recommended for deportation

Hull – In June 2009, UKBA staff encountered an Iraqi male whilst visiting a residential property in Hull. A search revealed documentation in several identities, and the presence of seconded uniformed police meant that he could be arrested for offences under the ID Cards Act. After lengthy enquiries the correct identity was established and charges brought, resulting in a significant custodial sentence and recommendation by the court for deportation.

South West – A senior university employee and his ex-wife are alleged to have made and sold fraudulent university degree certificates to foreign nationals. Prices ranged between £500 and £1000. The university employee had a fetish for sadomasochism and vulnerable females were allegedly encouraged to indulge his needs as part-payment for the certificates. Bogus introduction letters were allegedly supplied to individuals to gain student visas to enter the UK by deception. The ex-wife allegedly used her contacts in the local community to find people who wanted to buy the certificates and documents. Spreadsheets containing the names of several hundred foreign nationals were recovered. Both have been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

North West – HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) intercepted two packages addressed to premises in Cheshire containing three blank South African passports together with eight South African passport laminates. The other was found to contain three blank South African passports together with seven South African passport laminates. It is believed the passports were to have been forged to facilitate the illegal entry of immigrants to the U.K. As a result, Operation Shetland was instigated and Yinka OLEBANJO (09/10/1966), a Nigerian national, was sentenced at Chester Crown Court on 3 July 2009. She received 15 months’ imprisonment for a total of 13 fraud offences and a forfeiture order for £352,917. She will be deported on completion of her sentence.

North West – A Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) referral led enquiries to be made in Manchester where a warrant was executed for ID offences. On entering a flat officers uncovered a multi-million pound operation dealing in staged road traffic accidents. Eight people were arrested from the premises. The main suspect, Irfan MANZOOR (6/6/75), charged with ID Cards Act offences, was convicted and received a custodial sentence of nine months. Seven others are currently on bail. Fifty mobile phones, three laptops and reams of documentary evidence were seized over two days. The intelligence has been passed to the Financial Investigation Unit in Greater Manchester to be progressed with a view to substantial asset recovery.

Scotland - In May 2009, the crime team investigated an allegation of facilitation in the Wick area. The intelligence concerned a UK national Gulzar MIAH who was facilitating 3 or 4 illegal entrants to work in his takeaways and whom he was ‘abusing’. During the investigation phase the accused was arrested for attempting to intimidate his rivals by setting fire to another restaurant. Divisional police reported him to the court but he was released on bail. The crime team executed search warrants at his two takeaways and found 14 illegal entrants to the UK. He was charged with 14 counts of facilitation and £7100 was seized under POCA. He was kept in custody. SOCA are carrying out enquiries to seize his properties. He has since pleaded guilty (4 September 2009 at Inverness Sheriff Court) and currently awaits sentencing.

London (Hackney) - Babar ASHRAF (Pakistani) pleaded guilty to four burglary dwelling offences, currently the priority crime for the borough. Appeared at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 24/07/09 and received a 3 year custodial sentence with the judge issuing a deportation order. PHOTO AVAILABLE.

NOTES TO EDITORS
1. The 2,600 is figure in the opening sentence is based on management information..

2. In 2008, nearly 5,,5400 foreign national prisonerscriminals were deported and more than 676,000 people were removed or voluntarily departed..

3. Since August 2008, all foreign national prisoners (FNP’s) who have received a custodial sentence of twelve months or more or have been charged with a drug, violent or sexual offence have been considered for automatic deportation.

4. In addition to Immigration Crime Partnerships, in 2008 the UKBA announced the creation of Local Immigration Teams across the UK by December 2011. This is already bringing our staff closer to the communities we they serve. These teams have the local knowledge to tackle a community's specific needs — tracking down illegal migrants, targeting those companies that flout the rules, or gathering intelligence by working with a range of local agencies.

Contacts:

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