An individual identified as a major player in international human trafficking has been sentenced to 11 years in jail in Belgium for his involvement in selling inflatable boats to migrant criminal groups. Adem Savas, a 45-year-old man, was apprehended in Amsterdam while en route to a boat exhibition and was found guilty of people smuggling and association with an organized crime network. It is reported that Savas profited significantly from providing equipment used in approximately half of the Channel crossings in 2023, some of which resulted in tragic fatalities. His extensive connections to numerous migrant crossings earned him the title of a prominent figure in the European human trafficking hierarchy and placed him at the top of the National Crime Agency’s most-wanted list.
Rob Jones, the NCA Director General of Operations, emphasized that Savas was a key supplier of boats and engines to human smuggling gangs orchestrating perilous Channel crossings. Despite masquerading as a legitimate maritime supply business owner, Savas was fully aware of how the equipment he supplied would be misused and the dangers it posed for long sea journeys. Authorities highlighted that the boats and engines provided by Savas likely played a role in multiple fatal incidents in the Channel, enabling him to profit from these tragic events.
The Belgian Federal Judicial Police in West Flanders expressed the importance of collaborative efforts among law enforcement agencies to combat severe threats to society. Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris commended the joint efforts of the National Crime Agency and international partners in dismantling this human smuggling operation and ensuring that Savas faced justice.
Savas confessed to his crimes of people smuggling and involvement in organized crime during a court hearing in Bruges, leading to his imprisonment for 11 years and a substantial fine. His illicit activities were brought to light during an investigation into Kurdish crime boss Hewa Rahimpur, who was apprehended in London and subsequently convicted in Belgium. Analysis of seized electronic devices revealed that Savas was the primary supplier of boats and engines to Rahimpur’s smuggling network, which facilitated the movement of thousands of migrants across the Channel to the UK.
From 2019 until his arrest in 2024, Savas collaborated with human smuggling networks in Belgium and France, providing equipment for numerous small boat crossings to the UK. Charging approximately £4,000 per package of boats and engines, Savas amassed substantial profits over the course of his criminal enterprise. Communication records between Savas and Rahimpur following a fatal incident in the Channel highlighted their complicity in the smuggling operations, further implicating Savas in the illicit trade.
Law enforcement authorities acted swiftly to apprehend Savas upon receiving intelligence regarding his attendance at a trade event in the Netherlands. The operation was successfully executed through coordinated efforts involving a Europol Operational Task Force and the formation of a Joint Investigation Team with the assistance of Eurojust.