Overview

• Ahmed Ebid, an Egyptian-born asylum seeker, masterminded a £12 million smuggling ring, transporting 3,800 migrants from Libya to Europe on overcrowded boats.
• Ebid operated the enterprise from his taxpayer-funded flat in Isleworth, London, and used code words and threats to enforce compliance among migrants.
• The National Crime Agency (NCA) traced Ebid’s operation through satellite phone calls linked to his UK mobile and seized payment ledgers and Mediterranean coordinates during a raid in 2023.
• Ebid’s conviction highlights the UK’s shift to an 'upstream' strategy, with NCA officers targeting smuggling networks in Libya and arresting four suspects earlier this year.
• The central Mediterranean route remains one of the world’s most dangerous migration paths, with nearly 25,000 deaths since 2014, including 382 fatalities in 2025 alone.