Eighteen members of a significant people-smuggling gang were sentenced in France for orchestrating thousands of dangerous boat crossings in the English Channel. Described by prosecutors as ‘merchants of death,’ the mostly Iraqi Kurdish group was dismantled following a Europe-wide operation in 2022. Ringleader Mirkhan Rasoul received the longest sentence, with the gang linked to up to 10,000 crossings. The operation resulted in the seizure of more than 100 boats and various smuggling equipment, highlighting the extensive reach of this criminal network.

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