Overview

• A jury at Maidstone Crown Court concluded in a trial of the facts on October 14 that Nareman committed people-smuggling offenses after he was ruled unfit to plead due to PTSD, panic attacks and depression.
• Border Force detained 14 people, including two children from Iran, Iraq and Albania, after the 20ft yacht ran aground near Rye Harbour on February 12, 2022.
• Investigators found location data placing him in Rye that day and recovered maps of the French and British coasts, migrants’ passports, a video of him with large sums of cash and extensive messages about small-boat and HGV crossings.
• The NCA described the operation as extremely prolific, citing digital records of months of organized routes, prices and coordination with other smugglers.
• Accomplice Ali Omar Karim, who ran an HGV smuggling network, pleaded guilty in June 2024 and is due for sentencing on January 8, 2026, the same date set for Nareman’s custody review.