Prolific people smuggler caught after migrant-filled yacht runs aground in East Sussex

A people smuggler who was caught helping migrants cross the channel via a yacht was caught after the boat ran aground.

Footage shared by the National Crime Agency (NCA) on Tuesday (14 October) shows people jumping from the boat into the River Rye as the vessel struggled to stay afloat in February 2022.

Within two hours, Border Force officials had detained 14 people, including two children, from Iran, Iraq and Albania.

On Tuesday, Mohammed Ali Nareman, 37, from London, was found to have committed multiple people-smuggling offences relating to English Channel crossings in HGV lorries, small boats and a yacht.

He had been deemed unfit to stand trial as he suffers from PTSD, panic attacks and depression. Instead, a trial of facts took place at Maidstone Crown Court.

Karim was arrested in Portsmouth in March 2024 and pleaded guilty to people smuggling offences in June 2024. He will be sentenced on 8 January 2026.