Intrigue

The search for a convicted people smuggler who put money in the UK planning for retirement.
This investigation stems from a tip-off: a convicted smuggler once dubbed the most successful in history, is currently living in the UK and running a string of businesses here. Could it be true?
Sue and Rob go on the hunt for Twana Jamal – a smuggler who had so many aliases he had to write them on his baseball cap to remind himself which he was using. In court, prosecutors said he and his gang were making £4 million a year and they believed he was funnelling his money into UK businesses: car washes and mini-markets.
The search for Twana Jamal starts in the north of England, where migrants report seeing Twana driving a BMW and exuding an air of wealth. They remember how feared he was in the Calais camp: it was migrants there who reported him to police. His gang was the first to industrialise the lorry crossings, which featured so heavily in 2016 as thousands waited to reach Britain.
After a smuggling conviction and five-year prison sentence in France, Twana Jamal entered the UK and is believed to have given a different alias to the Home Office. Sue and Rob track him down to an English village, where he’s running a string of stores selling vapes, sweets and alcohol. Over several days they watch his movements to find out more about his life here. When the moment is right, they plan to confront him.
The series is researched and recorded by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie.
It is produced and overseen by Joel Moors.
Original music is by Mom Tudie.
Sound design and mix is by Tom Brignell.
Editorial, legal, production and commissioning decisions are overseen by Tracy Williams, Dan Clarke, Joe Kent, Will Drysdale, Lynne Jones and Ross Allen.

Can Sue and Rob find a smuggler from the past who everyone thought had disappeared?
Listen to the final episode, Return of the King, on Wednesday 1 July, first on BBC Sounds.

A late night phone call: have Sue and Rob finally unmasked the people-smuggling king pin?
A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.
They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue and international arrest warrant.
Sue and Rob know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in Northern Iraq.
It’s two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.
Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.
A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?
The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell
It’s produced by Joel Moors
Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix is by Tom Brignell
The Executive Producer is Joe Kent and the Commissioning Executive is Tracy Williams.
The Assistant Commissioner in Speech Digital is Will Drysdale
The Commissioning Editor is Dan Clarke

Sue and Rob head to the Iraqi town that’s become a hotbed of smuggling and the starting point for many migrant journeys – Ranya.
There, they unravel what's happened to scores of missing boys taken hostage and tortured as they try to reach the UK.
A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.
They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue an international arrest warrant.
They know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in northern Iraq.
It’s two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.
Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.
A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?
The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie.
It’s produced by Joel Moors.
Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix are by Tom Brignell.

A Turkish smuggler and his money man reveal more about alliances between criminal gangs.
A journalist and an ex-soldier search for the identity of a people smuggler believed to be responsible for thousands of illegal crossings to the UK by small boats and lorries.
They start with a false name: Kardo Ranya. A man who has evaded arrest for several years by keeping his real identity a closely guarded secret. It makes it near impossible for law enforcement agencies to issue and international arrest warrant.
Sue and Rob know what he looks like from social media posts advertising his crossings and lifestyle. Their search takes them across Europe and to the Middle East, where they discover a network of powerful smugglers operating from a town in Northern Iraq.
It’s two years since Sue and Rob located a gang leader in their podcast Intrigue: To Catch a Scorpion and the illegal business of migrant journeys is more dangerous and ruthless than before.
Their investigation reveals the inner mechanics of the smuggling trade and shows in close focus the people who currently control it as they search for a kingpin behind dangerous crossings to the UK by boat and lorry.
A secret meeting, a missing person and a worried family. Who is the man connecting them?
The series is recorded and presented by Sue Mitchell and Rob Lawrie
It’s produced by Joel Moors
Original music is by Mom Tudie and sound design and mix is by Tom Brignell