Dutch investigation links Afghan victims on Texel to Paris-sentenced smuggler Idriss Ghazi Kareem
Two Afghan migrants whose remains washed ashore on Texel were identified as victims of a smuggling network led by Idriss Ghazi Kareem, who was sentenced in Paris.
In August 2023, a rubber boat carrying 66 migrants left the French coast, but its engine failed and an explosion caused the craft to split, leaving eight dead and sixty survivors. Among the missing were Samiullah, 20, and Ahmad Jan, 27, whose torso and a shoe with a foot were later recovered on the beach of Texel. After a 2.5-year DNA effort involving the Red Cross and Afghan relatives, the remains were positively identified.
The incident prompted French authorities to uncover a large smuggling ring overseen by Idriss Ghazi Kareem, who was sentenced to fifteen years in Paris for trafficking people and continued to run the operation from prison, earning hundreds of thousands of euros annually. Police recordings show Kareem mentioning an uncle in the Netherlands who oversees boats and confirming his own visits to the country. Dutch officials note that the Netherlands often serves as a hub for supplying equipment used in Channel crossings.
Why it matters
The case exposes how European smuggling networks exploit Dutch logistics to facilitate dangerous migrant crossings.
In this story
