Abu Hussein al-Iraqi, the alleged kingpin of a network spanning from Iraq to the UK, repeatedly told asylum seekers “there is no deportation” once they cross the Channel.
A notorious smuggling gang who brand themselves as “Kings of the Jungle” taunted Labour as he told migrants “they won’t send you back”.
Abu Hussein al-Iraqi, the alleged kingpin of a network spanning from Iraq to the UK, repeatedly told asylum seekers “there is no deportation” once they cross the Channel.
And he exposed a new loophole in Britain’s crumbling asylum system, revealing migrants should claim to be from a stateless minority group in Kuwait.
The number of claims from “stateless” migrants has surged from 127 in 2010 to 1,506 in the year to March.
An undercover probe showed how Hussein openly flaunts his business on social media, with his henchmen even telling potential customers the gang can arrange “immigration to all European countries under the leadership of Abu Hussein al-Iraqi”.
Migrants board boat to cross The English Channel from Wimereux
A reporter posing as an Egyptian migrant asked the smuggler whether she would be sent back to France.
He responded: “No they won’t send you back, God have mercy on your parents.
“The coastguards’ job is to protect you. They’ll go out with you to protect you until you reach the UK.”
Hussein told an undercover reporter from the Telegraph he launches boats from Dunkirk every week – with each dinghy packed with 75 migrants who have paid around £900 to cross the Channel.
The smuggler speaks directly to asylum seekers on social media site TikTok from the “Jungle” camp in Grande-Synthe.
He told them: “Just come to me and consider yourself already in Britain.”
In another response, he told customers: “Believe me, there’s no deportation..
“A week ago, I sent some young people and families across the Channel, I have their numbers with me.
“They’re now in hotels in the UK,” he says, explaining that the group have already claimed asylum and are “sat waiting” for a decision.
In another livestream from Dunkirk, the smuggler pans his camera across migrants gathered in an open area where NGOs hand out food and water. “They’re all going to London,” he claims.
“There’s no deportation, look at all these people and there’s 40 times more of them,” he tells viewers. “They wouldn’t come here if there were deportations.”
The gang post videos on TikTok advertising “weekly trips” to the UK.
And they even sensationally offer a “free” journey to Britain if the first two crossing attempts fail.
He then uses “testimonies” from people who have arrived in the UK to convince the next wave of migrants to cross.
The criminals also goad the French for failing to stop crossings.
The smuggler said: “Look, there’s the coastguards and that’s the police, so anyone who says the British will send us back, look.”
When a migrant said they don’t have the right paperwork to claim asylum, the smuggler exposed another loophole in Britain’s crumbling system.
He said: “Apply as a Bidoon.”
The Bidoon community is a stateless group from Kuwait.
Hussein’s henchman, Kifah al-Hashimy, claims his network can also organise fake visas to cross Europe’s Schengen zone.
More than 8,000 migrants have crossed the Channel (Image: Getty)
He said: “Brother, Schengen visas are not just for Iraqis.
“They’re for all nationalities – everyone can be smuggled.”
Hussein added: “They require evidence of property and wealth to give you a visa.
“Don’t worry, we’ll give you all the fake evidence.
“I have guys who will sort everything for you – rental contracts, evidence of home ownership and so on. We’ll get you evidence of a bank account with $50,000.”
The alleged gangster told an undercover reporter posing as a migrant: “Listen to me, sister, tomorrow we have a trip. It’s €1,200 (£1,040) per person, if you’re able to come today.”
Abu Hussein claims he has an “office in Paris” that will handle the money.
The group’s alleged money-man, Abu Nasir, said: “You’ll be like the people over there [in Dunkirk] – half of them leave their money with me.
“Once you arrive safely [in Britain] you call me to confirm. If you don’t arrive, your money is still here but you lose your security deposit, which is €100 (£87) each.”
When he was eventually challenged by the Telegraph, Abu Hussein al-Iraqi said: “I do not work in people smuggling, I live in Iraq and I work in a coffee shop. You’re mistaken, I only post videos, I don’t do anything.”
Abu Nasir, his money man, said: “You’re lying. I don’t know anything.”
A spokesman for TikTok said the company had banned all accounts linked to Abu Hussein’s gang “for breaking our rules against human smuggling.”
The Office for the Fight against Illicit Trafficking of Migrants (OLTIM), an arm of the French national police, has launched an investigation.
A spokesman for the Pas-de-Calais local authority said: “Following this report, OLTIM was tasked with carrying out investigations. An investigation is therefore under way.”
