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Two Sefton minicab drivers ‘involved in people trafficking,’ court hears



TWO Sefton minicab drivers were part of a people smuggling ring ferrying immigrants into the country, it was claimed in court.

Private hire drivers Mohammed Yaghoobi, 23 and Aref Yaghobi, 21 – plus a third Liverpool man, Akbar Rehmani, 22 – were allegedly part of a trafficking gang that organised the illegal entry of five immigrants.

The three men deny conspiracy to assist illegal immigration.

A trial at Teeside crown court yesterday heard how the alleged smuggling plot saw four Afghans and an Iranian brought into the UK in a truck at Sunderland.

Police detained the immigrants and arrested four alleged traffickers after a tip-off from a man walking home from the pub.

A jury was told that Robert Bolt was returning home when he saw the “cold and hungry” stowaways stealing apples from a tree.

He then spoke to one of the alleged smugglers on a mobile phone as he travelled to the North East to collect his “friends”.

Mr Bolt, from Seaham, County Durham, said he was offered £2,000 to keep them hidden until they were collected.

He said one of the asylum-seekers fled before police detained the others at a nearby shopping complex.

Officers also lay in wait to catch four men who are said to have helped to organise their illegal entry.

One of them has since been deported, with Yaghoobi, of Sturdee Road, Old Swan, Akbar Rehmani, of Lawrence Road, Wavertree, and Aref Yaghobi, of Ling Street, Edge Hill, standing trial.

The court heard how Yaghoobi and Yaghobi told police they were simply minicab drivers doing a favour for friends ferrying them across the country.

Rehmani claimed in his interview that he had not known the purpose of the trip , and was helping out the fourth man, Walliallam Zaheer.

Prosecutor Michael Graham said: “Despite what the defendants said the evidence clearly shows they were party to a night-time enterprise to assist.

“That was the purpose of the journey and the evidence demonstrates this was no innocent journey on their parts.”

Sefton council said it suspended the drivers’ permits in the “public interest” following their arrest for alleged “human trafficking”.

The trial is expected to last for five days.


Source: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpoo ... z2CrbXSLYJ

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Officers also lay in wait to catch four men who are said to have helped to organise their illegal entry.

One of them has since been deported, with Yaghoobi, of Sturdee Road, Old Swan, Akbar Rehmani, of Lawrence Road, Wavertree, and Aref Yaghobi, of Ling Street, Edge Hill, standing trial.

Deported in less than 8 years? blimey, there's a shock

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

is this a new recruitment method for sefton PH firms ?

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

People smuggling defendants deny knowledge of plot



TWO men accused of travelling to the region to collect a group of illegal immigrants today (Thursday) claimed they knew nothing about a people smuggling plot.

Mohammad Yaghoobi and his friend Aref Yaghobi (CORRECT) said they were just innocent minicab drivers.

The pair, both from Liverpool, were arrested at Dalton Park Shopping Centre, near Seaham, County Durham, along with two other men.

Mr Yaghoobi told Teesside Crown Court he had been asked by a friend, Akbar Rehami, to collect four people described by Mr Rehami as "friends" from Seaham.

Mr Yaghoobi said he asked Mr Yaghobi to help because they would not all fit in one car.

The pair said Mr Rehami, also from Liverpool, had promised them £200 each for the trip.

Mr Yaghoobi told the court: "If I did know that (I was collecting illegal immigrants) I wouldn't have gone for £200 - if it had been £20,000 I wouldn't have gone."

Mr Yaghobi said he had finished working at about midnight and had just bought a takeaway when his friend called asking if he would make the trip to Seaham.

He said: "This is a job I'm doing. I'm not doing anything wrong."

Police detained five illegal immigrants and arrested four alleged traffickers after the immigrants were spotted stealing apples by a man going home from the pub.

Prosecutors claim the young men – five Afghans and an Iranian – had been smuggled into the UK in a truck.

Mr Yaghoobi, 23, Mr Rehmani, 22, and Mr Yaghobi, 21, deny conspiracy to assist illegal immigration.

The trial continues.


http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/1 ... e_of_plot/

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

A man money can't buy has to be admired.

Via kabul.....

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Sefton minicab drivers cleared of being part of people-trafficking plot


TWO minicab drivers accused of being part of a people-trafficking gang were cleared by a jury which accepted their story that they were “unwitting stooges”.

Mohammad Yaghoobi, 23, Sturdee Road, Old Swan, and Aref Yaghobi, 21, Ling Street, Edge Hill, said they did not know they were travelling to the North East to collect illegal immigrants.

They ferried two other men – Akbar Rehmani, from Kensington, and Walliallam Zaheer – to the region from Liverpool to pick up six stowaways from Afghanistan and Iran. The four men were arrested after an alert passer-by contacted police when he saw the “cold and hungry” immigrants stealing apples from trees late at night.

Officers lay in wait for the convoy and detained them when they arrived at the Dalton Park shopping complex near Seaham, County Durham, last November.

Teesside crown court heard that one of the six asylum-seekers – who arrived in the UK in the back of a lorry – fled, but the others were held by police.

Zaheer has since been deported and 22-year-old Rehmani was yesterday found guilty of assisting the illegal entry of non-EU residents into the country.

The takeaway worker was given bail with strict conditions and told by Judge Simon Bourne-Arton QC that he faces prison when he is sentenced.

Rehmani, of Galloway Street, Kensington, must surrender his passport, report to police three times a week and observe a curfew from 8pm to 7am each day.

Judge Bourne-Arton ordered background reports on Rehmani.

He told him: “The fact I am doing that does not mean this will not be a case of prison.”

The two men who were cleared told the court during a week-long trial that they were simply doing Rehmani and Zaheer favours by driving them north.

A man walking home from the pub was asked by the stowaways to call their “friend” and he was offered £2,000 to keep them hidden and nourished.

The passer-by bought them chocolate and drinks, but later called police to tell them he had seen people he thought “had escaped from the back of a lorry”.


Read more: Liverpool Echo http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpoo ... z2DVfuLe23

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin