A new podcast series explores how a former British Army soldier became a people smuggler working with organised crime gangs from Albania and Vietnam based in the UK.
Known as “Nick”, he has been to prison twice for his crimes.
The 10-part series for BBC Radio 4, Shadow World: The Smuggler, is presented by investigative journalist Annabel Deas.
It hears from the perpetrator directly, to uncover his motivations, methods and the consequences of risking the lives of desperate people.
The investigation reveals that the smuggling techniques Nick used are still possible today and explains how easy it is for smugglers to bring migrants into the UK without being caught. The methods Nick used are rarely heard about.
Across the series, he reveals how he illegally smuggled migrants onto cross channel ferries inside cars and lorries, and how he used private marinas to bring migrants into the UK hidden inside a sailboat.
The investigation also exposes the ease with which foreign nationals with previous criminal records in the UK were able to operate an international smuggling ring – as Nick first becomes involved with an Albanian organised crime gang based near London and then a Vietnamese woman with previous convictions for running cannabis farms in England.
Annabel Deas says: “No one expects to meet a people smuggler, let alone someone as unguarded and open as “Nick”, a former British soldier about the same age as me.
“I thought I knew who people smugglers were and what they did – but I was completely wrong. My investigation takes us deep into the UK’s hidden criminal landscape, where a British man became entwined with Albanian and Vietnamese crime gangs who were able to operate with impunity using techniques which the authorities appear powerless to stop.”
Commissioning editor Daniel Clarke adds: “This series is incredibly eye opening, revealing the inner workings of how people smugglers are operating so close to home. At a time when there is so much discussion around the migrant crisis, this series explores the methods that people smugglers are using which don’t reach the headlines.”
Shadow World: The Smuggler starts on BBC Radio 4 on Monday 26 May at 1.45pm and will be available on BBC Sounds.
