EXCLUSIVE: Iranian man denies people smuggling charges through Kurdish interpreter

An Iranian national has denied three offences connected to alleged people smuggling.

Anjan Ahmadi, 26, of Stafano Road, Preston, Lancashire, appeared at Preston Crown Court on Friday, May 9 2025, for a plea and directions hearing.

He was charged with one count of assisting unlawful immigration to member (EU) states on November 16 2023, in connection with three alleged illegal migrants.

He was also charged with two counts of assisting unlawful immigration to the UK on or around November 26 2023 and on December 15 2023, in connection with two alleged illegal immigrants.

Through a Kurdish interpreter, he denied all three offences and will face trial in October.

Ahmadi was originally arrested (main image) by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in July 2024 as part of an enquiry into the activities of Amanj Hasan Zada.

Zada, also of Stefano Road, was convicted of a series of people smuggling offences in November 2024, when he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.

The NCA were able to link him to a series of movements of migrants into the UK from France in late 2023.

Investigators believe he is part of the global people smuggling network moving migrants from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) into the UK and Europe. Three men were arrested KRI as part of a ground breaking operation in January.