Shadow World
BBC Radio 4NEW in Shadow World: The Smuggler.
Most of us think we know who people smugglers are, they’re people from 'somewhere else', far away from the UK. But what if that's wrong? What if some of the people illegally smuggling migrants into the UK are actually from here? British people smugglers with an intimate knowledge of our borders. Investigative journalist Annabel Deas explores how “Nick”, a former soldier in the British Army, became a people smuggler working with organised crime gangs from Albania and Vietnam based in the UK. He has twice been to prison for his crimes. In this intimate portrait of a British people smuggler - we hear from the perpetrator directly, to uncover his motivations, methods and the consequences of risking the lives of desperate people. The investigation exposes how the smuggling techniques Nick used are still possible today and details the ease with which smugglers can bring migrants into the UK without being caught. Everyone knows about smugglers who bring migrants in on small boats, but 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.
Shadow World: Gripping stories from the shadows - BBC investigations from across the UK.
- No. of episodes: 30
- Latest episode: 2025-05-24
- True Crime
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