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A sophisticated organized crime network that weaponized the trusted reputation of London’s taxi trade to smuggle migrants out of the United Kingdom and into France has been dismantled, resulting in a substantial prison sentence for its ringleader. In a significant victory for the National Crime Agency (NCA), 53-year-old Madjid Belabes was sentenced to ten years and nine months at Kingston Crown Court after prosecutors exposed how he transformed a fleet of black cabs and private hire vehicles into a clandestine transport logicistics arm for international human traffickers.
The operation, which ran between December 2022 and September 2023, represents a growing trend of "reverse smuggling," where criminal gangs exploit porous borders to move individuals not just into Britain, but out of it. Belabes, described in court as the architect of the scheme, generated illicit profits totaling £287,000. He leveraged the anonymity of the London taxi trade, hiring a team of drivers to ferry Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian nationals from safe houses in the capital to secluded lay-bys in Kent. From there, the human cargo was transferred into Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) to be sneaked across the Channel.
Investigators discovered that Belabes cynically exploited his drivers, paying them a fraction of the criminal proceeds while he amassed a fortune. While the mastermind charged high fees for coordinating the logistics, drivers were often paid as little as £25 to £40 per person transported. Evidence presented during the trial revealed that Samir Zerguine, who completed 14 smuggling runs, received these meager sums, while other drivers like Said Bouazza and Mohamed Mabrouk were paid flat fees ranging between £70 and £180 per trip. The disparity in pay highlighted the exploitative hierarchy Belabes maintained, viewing both his employees and the migrants as mere commodities.
The court heard that the gang’s operations were extensive and brazen. In a single incident in February 2023, the network successfully moved 58 foreign nationals—many of whom had originally entered the UK legally on visitor visas—into France before they were intercepted. This specific operation underscored the complexity of the threat, as the migrants utilized the taxi network to vanish from the UK immigration system before attempting to cross European borders undetected.
The breakthrough in the case came through meticulous surveillance and digital forensics by the NCA. Detectives linked the drivers to Belabes through an intricate web of call data and text records. Physical surveillance further cemented the case, with CCTV footage capturing Mourad Bouchlaghem and other drivers meeting Belabes in London to collect their passengers. The use of taxis was a calculated strategic choice; Belabes believed that licensed cabs carrying multiple passengers would provide a credible cover story if stopped by traffic police, effectively hiding in plain sight.
While Belabes pleaded guilty three days into his trial, admitting to the smuggling charges and possession of over £11,000 in criminal cash, his accomplices faced a jury. Four drivers—Samir Zerguine, Mourad Bouchlaghem, Mohamed Mabrouk, and Mohamed Issaoun—admitted their roles, while Said Bouazza was found guilty following deliberations. The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed that while Belabes begins his decade-long sentence immediately, his five accomplices are scheduled for sentencing on January 23, 2026. Furthermore, prosecutors have initiated proceedings to seize Belabes' accumulated assets, sending a clear message that the financial gains of such crimes will be stripped away.
Andrew Hudson, a Specialist Prosecutor for the CPS, emphasized that the conviction targets a critical component of the smuggling ecosystem. He noted that fighting migration crime requires dismantling the networks that facilitate movement in both directions, stressing that these gangs place desperate men, women, and children in life-threatening situations for profit. The operation has also led to international repercussions, with French authorities arresting two lorry drivers linked to the onward journey of the migrants, showcasing the cross-border collaboration required to tackle these networks.
NCA senior investigating officer John Turner condemned the gang's reckless disregard for human life. He characterized Belabes as a senior figure who was not afraid to get his hands dirty, personally organizing migrants and driving them himself when necessary. Turner warned that the dismantling of this cell serves as a stark notice to other criminal networks operating within the transport sector, reaffirming the agency’s relentless commitment to disrupting organized immigration crime wherever it manifests.
