The French judge peered over her glasses sternly in the vast underground courtroom towards a notorious figure seated in a glass cage. Arabelle Bouts, the lead judge of a Europe-wide people smuggling trial, warned, “There will be no more misbehaviour or threats. Is that understood?” The defendant, Mirkhan Rasoul, 26, calmly replied, “Yes.”
Rasoul, already convicted on prior smuggling charges and serving a separate eight-year sentence for attempted murder, had previously threatened translators in the courtroom. Now, flanked by armed policemen, he listened as the lead prosecutor, Julie Carros, began to present final arguments in a case involving 33 alleged members of a Kurdish smuggling gang responsible for the majority of migrants crossing the Channel in small boats between 2020 and 2022.
As Carros described the gang’s actions of overloading small boats to maximize profits, she highlighted their control over Channel crossings and the massive income generated. The gang was eventually arrested in multiple countries in a coordinated international operation.
The trial, involving 17 men and one woman, with more trials to come, is expected to end soon. The prosecution seeks harsh sentences for the accused, including a permanent ban from French territory for Rasoul, who allegedly continued to control the gang from prison.
While the prosecutors aim to deter smuggling operations with tough sentences, defense lawyer Kamal Abbas remains pessimistic, noting that imprisonment does not deter smugglers who are driven by profit. Despite challenges in prosecuting smuggling networks, collaboration between French and British officials has been praised.
The defense lawyer also expressed concern that real leaders often evade capture, with the link to smuggling operations often traced back to England. “The British authorities should look harder at certain areas of London if they want to stop this phenomenom,” said Mr Abas.