Three men suspected of running a major people smuggling network from Iraq’s Kurdistan region to Britain and Europe have been arrested in a joint operation between British and Iraqi security forces, marking the first such collaboration in the region.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the suspects, all from Sulaymaniyah, were linked to UK-based smuggler Amanj Hassan Zada, who was jailed for 17 years in November 2024.

The arrests took place between January 8-12, with British officers deploying to the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) to assist local security forces.

One of the detained men, aged 38, allegedly coordinated more than a dozen yacht movements carrying 60-70 migrants each into Greece or Italy. The other suspects include a Hawala (Islamic) banker in his 40s accused of processing financial transactions and a man in his 30s believed to be a middleman gathering migrants.

"This is the next significant step in taking on the people smuggling gangs who dominate the deadly cross-Channel small boat trade," said NCA Operations Director Rob Jones.

"Previously they thought they were untouchable, but thanks to our cooperation with the KRI authorities, we have demonstrated this is no longer the case," he added.

The operation follows a landmark UK-Iraq security agreement signed seven weeks ago.

British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the arrests would have "a material effect on the criminal networks currently trafficking people across Europe."

Zada, who lived in Preston before his arrest, advertised smuggling services on social media, including videos of successful crossings. In one YouTube video recorded in Kurdistan in 2021, musicians praised him as "the best smuggler" while he threw cash and fired a gun in celebration.

In a tweet following the arrests in the KRG the NCA wrote, "Previously they thought they were untouchable, but thanks to our co-operation with the KRI authorities, we have demonstrated that this is no longer the case and they will be held to account."

The NCA said more than 70 people died attempting Channel crossings in small boats in 2024. The agency currently has about 70 active investigations into high-level immigration crime networks.

The UK’s in-country arrests in Iraq come as Iraqi Prime Minister Shia al-Sudani signed a historic trade and defence deal with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and met with King Charles III.