A Turkish national, Adem Savas, has been sentenced to 11 years in prison and fined €400,000 for supplying thousands of small boats and engines to people smugglers in the English Channel, following a joint operation by UK and Belgian authorities. This conviction targets a central figure in the European smuggling network responsible for facilitating dangerous migrant crossings.
Savas, described by the UK’s National Crime Agency as “without a doubt the most significant supplier” to Channel smuggling gangs, operated between 2019 and 2024. He sourced cheap outboard engines from China and boats from Turkey, shipping them to Bulgaria and storing them in Germany before distribution to northern France. Charging around £4,000 per package, he is estimated to have made millions from this illicit trade.
The 45-year-old was first identified during an investigation into Hewa Rahimpur, a Kurdish crime boss who led a smuggling ring thought to be behind over 10,000 migrant crossings. Rahimpur was jailed in 2023, and analysis of seized devices revealed Savas as his key supplier. Savas’s equipment was used in approximately half of all small boat crossings in 2023, highlighting his pivotal role.
Savas was arrested in November 2024 at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport and stood trial in Bruges, Belgium, where he admitted to people smuggling and membership in an organized crime group. Three co-defendants were sentenced in absentia to 12 and 13 years, with fines totaling €600,000, and their arrest has been ordered. Savas also had $100,000 in assets seized.
NCA director general Rob Jones stated that Savas knowingly supplied unsuitable equipment for long sea crossings, with his boats and engines “likely involved in numerous fatal events in the Channel.” For instance, after 27 migrants died in a November 2021 sinking, Rahimpur sent Savas images of a similar boat used in the tragedy, underscoring the deadly consequences.
The sentencing comes amid record-high Channel crossings, with 41,472 migrants detected in 2025, the second-highest number on record. Such crossings have become the primary method for illegal entry into the UK since 2020, with at least 84 deaths reported in 2024 alone. Overcrowding and unsafe vessels exacerbate the risks.
UK Border Security Minister Alex Norris praised the apprehension of “this smuggling kingpin,” emphasizing the government’s crackdown on criminals profiting from human lives. The NCA’s collaboration with Belgian authorities exemplifies international efforts to dismantle smuggling networks that exploit vulnerable migrants.
Looking ahead, the conviction of Savas is expected to disrupt smuggling operations temporarily, but experts warn that demand for crossings remains high. Ongoing investigations into other suppliers and enhanced border measures will be crucial in addressing the root causes and preventing further loss of life in the Channel.
