From the outside, it appeared to be just another modest pebble-dash terraced house on a quiet Preston street. But behind its ordinary facade, an unemployed Iranian national was running a sophisticated multi-million pound criminal enterprise that smuggled hundreds of migrants into Britain.
The Social Media Smuggler
Amanj Hasan Zada, 35, operated his entire people smuggling network using just a mobile phone from his living room, charging up to £8,500 per person for dangerous Channel crossings. The Iranian national, who was himself an illegal migrant, coordinated journeys from Iraq, Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries into Europe.
Far from maintaining a low profile, Zada actively promoted his criminal services on social media platforms including Facebook and TikTok. He even offered discounts to migrants who would film themselves making the crossings and provide positive "reviews" of their journey online.
Videos of migrants celebrating successful crossings or sitting on cramped yachts while praising Zada as 'King of the sea' amassed thousands of views, portraying him as something of a folk hero among migrant communities.
Viral Videos Lead to Downfall
Zada's love of self-promotion ultimately proved to be his undoing. A YouTube video recorded in Iraq in 2021 showed him at a party with musicians singing in Kurdish, hailing him as 'the best smuggler'. In the footage, Zada throws cash at the musicians and fires a handgun into the air in celebration.
This viral content caught the attention of the National Crime Agency, which launched an extensive investigation in December 2023 led by investigator Alistair Mullen. "First, we had to track him down. He was an illegal migrant himself," Mr Mullen explained.
Through partnerships with local authorities, investigators confirmed Zada was paying council tax at the Preston address, despite his illegal status in the UK.
Covert Investigation Operation
The NCA deployed a specialist surveillance team to monitor Zada's movements in what officers described as a "hostile" area of Preston frequented by migrants, drug dealers and sex workers.
"You need people who have the wherewithal when confronted by third parties to be able to provide a cover story," one surveillance officer revealed. "If you're sat in a van, you've got to convince them that you're a builder."
Zada proved to be a cautious operator, rarely leaving his house and instead making associates come to him. Most visitors were Asian men, making it difficult for surveillance teams to distinguish between friends and criminal contacts.
Faced with these challenges, investigators decided to deploy listening devices in Zada's home, which provided crucial evidence. Recordings captured conversations about yachts, immigration camps, and payments for passengers, with Zada referring to himself by his criminal alias, Aman Zaman.
Sophisticated Criminal Enterprise
The investigation revealed Zada operated a highly organised network with what Alistair Mullen described as "a strong business model".
"He had people who had specialist capabilities for him, people who were responsible for recruiting the migrants - essentially a sales team on the ground," Mullen explained. "He had people who were running the social media networks for him."
Intelligence officer Monica, tasked with scouring Zada's online presence, described how his social media accounts featured videos of migrants "ripping up their passports after a successful crossing" and consistently praised his services.
"Every single account he had, he had multiple across the time we were investigating him, but all of them had upwards of a thousand followers," she noted.
The Final Sting
In May 2024, the investigation reached a critical point when covert monitoring revealed Zada had organised a yacht to carry migrants from Turkey across the Mediterranean. With lives at risk, the NCA team had just 72 hours to act.
"We couldn't allow that to happen," Mullen stated. "So we needed to disrupt that as best we possibly could and arresting him was the only option."
In a dramatic dawn raid, officers stormed Zada's Preston home, arresting him and seizing his phone. Analysis linked the device to numerous social media accounts and phone numbers used in his smuggling operation.
His arrest caused the rest of his gang to call off the planned crossing, successfully safeguarding the migrants involved.
Justice Served and Network Dismantled
During his trial, jurors heard that Zada had lived in the UK for over eight years and was "well-versed" in the asylum process. Prosecutors described how he had developed "a lucrative business" with references to payments of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Messages exposed how migrants were taken on torturous journeys through multiple European countries before reaching dinghies for the final Channel crossing.
Zada claimed social media profiles were "fake" and that mentions of smuggling referred to moving alcohol between Iran and Iraq. However, he was found guilty of three counts of facilitating illegal immigration involving seven people.
In November 2024, Zada was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
The NCA investigation continued beyond Zada's conviction, resulting in the arrest of three additional network members in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, in January 2025, including two people smugglers and a Hawala banker who processed financial transactions.
Most recently, Zada's brother, Anjan Ahmadi, 26, was jailed for his role in the crime group after helping two migrants illegally enter the country. He was arrested in July 2024, just two months after his brother, and pleaded guilty to two counts of facilitating illegal immigration.
