A major supplier of small boats and engines believed to be used in thousands of Channel crossings to the U.K. has been jailed for 11 years and fined 400,000 euros ($467,000).
Turkish national Adem Savaş, 45, was sentenced at a Belgian court on Wednesday after a joint operation between the U.K.'s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Belgian authorities.
The NCA believe in 2023 Savaş will have supplied equipment used in around half of all Channel crossings, making him the agency's most wanted man as a key player in European people smuggling circles.
He is thought to have made millions from charging an average of 4,000 pounds ($5,365) per package in his operations between 2019 until his arrest in 2024.
Savaş was first flagged to the NCA when investigating the now jailed ringleader of a people smuggling gang, Hewa Rahimpur, responsible for moving 10,000 migrants in small boat crossings to the U.K.
Evidence found by investigators on Rahimpur's phones showed the pair were in regular contact, including an exchange of messages and pictures of a white rubber boat in November 2021 after the deaths of 27 migrants in the Channel, along with a screen grab of a news website showing how an identical boat had been used in the deadly crossing.
Investigators have not been able to directly link any deaths to Savaş.
Savaş was arrested at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam on Nov. 13, 2024 and extradited to Belgium where he admitted offences of people smuggling and being a member of an organized crime group on Dec. 3 last year.
NCA director general of operations, Rob Jones, said: "Adem Savaş was without doubt the most significant supplier of boats and engines to people smuggling gangs involved in organizing deadly crossings in the Channel, the head of a criminal network stretching across Europe to the beaches of northern France and across into the U.K."
"He pretended to run a legitimate maritime supply company, but in reality he knew exactly how the equipment he provided would be used."
"He also knew exactly how unsuitable it was for long sea crossings."
"Boats and engines supplied by Savaş were likely involved in numerous fatal events in the Channel - he made money from each of those."
The NCA said working with Belgian colleagues, they discovered how boats sourced by Savaş - mainly of cheap "Parsun" branded boats from China - were moved overland from Türkiye to Bulgaria and then across to Germany where they were stored ahead of the journeys.
Speaking to the Press Association, NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner said Savaş and three other members of his criminal network were jailed for a total of 49 years, which sends a "clear message" to those wanting to supply small boats equipment across Europe.
British Border Security Minister Alex Norris said: "We are cracking down on the criminals exchanging human lives for cash."
"Our brilliant National Crime Agency officers have worked alongside international allies to take down this smuggling kingpin and put him behind bars where he belongs."
