Two men involved in a large-scale people smuggling network have been convicted following a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation targeting illegal immigration routes from Europe into the UK. Sarfaraz Sardarzehi and his associate Duc Quang Ta operated within a criminal group responsible for transporting migrants from the continent through South East England and into the Midlands.
On September 4, 2020, West Midlands Police stopped Sardarzehi in Birmingham driving a silver Vauxhall Corsa with three illegal immigrants in the car. This was shortly after Ta was arrested on September 3 while travelling as a passenger in a BMW X5 on the M25 near Leatherhead, Surrey. At the time of Ta’s arrest, officers discovered a large sum of cash—£55,020 concealed in the vehicle and an additional £1,000 on him. Forensic examination of Ta’s phone revealed communications confirming plans to transfer nearly £56,000 to accomplices arranging migrant crossings in the UK.
Investigations uncovered that the criminal group used freight lorries to smuggle migrants across the Channel, often hiding them in refrigerated trucks. Once in Britain, migrants were swiftly moved away from coastal border controls, primarily by drivers like Sardarzehi, to ‘safe houses’ scattered across the country. The network’s sophisticated operation used encrypted messaging apps and coded language to evade detection, referring to migrants with terms such as ‘siblings,’ ‘chicken’ and ‘pork,’ while vehicles were called ‘horses’ and money ‘paper.’
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During a three-week trial at Birmingham Crown Court, it emerged that Ta, a Vietnamese national residing in Reading, acted as an organiser—coordinating drivers, lorry bookings, safe houses, and migrant placements. Sardarzehi, from London, served primarily as a driver and courier, moving migrants and illicit funds within the UK. Between mid-August and early September 2020, Ta was involved in 16 attempted migrant transports, with Sardarzehi assisting in three; 22 individuals were successfully smuggled in this period, though authorities suspect a broader timeline of offences.
Both men were found guilty of people smuggling and money laundering charges and are due to be sentenced on July 10 at Birmingham Crown Court.
NCA Senior Investigating Officer David Cushway condemned their exploitation of vulnerable migrants, stating: “They placed these people at enormous risk by hiding them in HGVs. The language they used reveals the contempt they held for those they exploited. The National Crime Agency remains determined to bring offenders like Ta and Sardarzehi to justice and dismantle these damaging networks.”
The NCA continues to lead around 100 ongoing investigations targeting top-tier organised immigration crime groups responsible for the greatest harm. Their efforts span every stage of the smuggling routes—from source countries to transit, through border regions, and inside the UK itself—aimed at disrupting and dismantling these illicit operations.