A COMPLEX operation to smuggle hundreds of people into Europe was allegedly run by two men from a car wash in Caerphilly, a court has heard.
The accused, Dilshad Shamo, 41, and Ali Khdir, 40, are charged with organizing an illegal migration network that transported people from Iraq, Iran, and Syria across Europe using various means, including boats, lorries, and cars.
According to prosecutors, the Fast Track Hand Car Wash in Caerphilly served as the hub of the operation from September 2022 to April 2023. Both men, with reported past addresses in Caerphilly, deny charges of conspiracy to breach migration laws in countries including Italy, Romania, Croatia, and Germany.
The prosecution, led by Sarah Gaunt, told Cardiff Crown Court that evidence from WhatsApp voice messages would reveal the defendants’ conversations with contacts in Iraq, Turkey, and other parts of Europe about smuggling operations. Migrants reportedly paid fees amounting to thousands of pounds, often using the hawala money transfer system or Western Union.
Surveillance, including covert listening devices placed in the defendants’ vehicles and the car wash, captured numerous conversations in Kurdish, which have been translated for the jury. Gaunt detailed four primary smuggling routes used by the network, including:
- Migrants entering Turkey legally before being transported over borders, occasionally by boat.
- Use of Belarusian or Moldovan tourist visas to travel to Germany or Romania by road.
- Transit by lorry from Turkey to Italy or Germany.
- A Balkan route involving Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia to reach Italy.
The trial continues, with both defendants maintaining their innocence.
