A UK-based criminal gang led by a Gambian national has received lengthy prison sentences after operating a sophisticated immigration fraud network that enabled hundreds of people mainly from The Gambia to enter the United Kingdom illegally using doctored passports.
The gang, headed by Lamin Manneh, 51, generated more than £1 million by altering genuine Gambian passports containing valid British visas and selling them to migrants seeking unlawful entry into the UK.
Manneh, who was initially sentenced to more than six years’ imprisonment in 2024 after admitting facilitating the illegal entry of two migrants, received an additional six years and eight months on 26 June after pleading guilty to conspiracy to facilitate unlawful immigration and money laundering.
Several members of the organised crime group were also sentenced at Leeds Crown Court. Alieu Barry, 31, was jailed for six years, while Mariama Jallow, 46, received four years and 11 months. Ida Chow, 40, was sentenced to three years and eight months, Sulayman Samateh, 46, to three years, Musu Sanyang, 49, to two years and seven months, and Pa Sanneh, 44, to two years and one month. Dodou Cham, 31, received a 12-month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work.
Sophisticated Operation
According to prosecutors, the gang operated what was effectively a “one-stop shop” for illegal migration. They sourced genuine Gambian passports already containing valid UK visas, altered the biometric pages by replacing the original photographs with those of paying clients, and arranged flights to Britain.
The network also collected migrants from UK airports before providing accommodation and helping them secure employment.
In one striking example presented to the court, the gang repeatedly used the passport of a deceased Gambian man to bring three different individuals into Britain by changing the passport photograph after each journey.
Investigators believe the organisation facilitated the illegal entry of several hundred people between January 2022 and July 2025. Although the precise number may never be established, police recovered images of 559 unique passports from Manneh’s mobile phone, indicating the extensive scale of the operation.
Investigation Began at Manchester Airport
The investigation gathered momentum in early 2024 after Border Force officers at Manchester Airport stopped a traveller carrying the passport of a Gambian man whose documents had been stolen during a burglary two years earlier.
The traveller later admitted paying the equivalent of £5,200 for forged travel documents and transport arrangements.
All eight defendants admitted offences relating to facilitating unlawful immigration. Manneh, Barry, Jallow and Chow also pleaded guilty to laundering the proceeds of their criminal enterprise.
CPS Vows to Target Organised Immigration Crime
Robert Warner, a Specialist Prosecutor with the Crown Prosecution Service’s Organised Crime Division, described the operation as a highly organised criminal enterprise.
“This was a sophisticated plot that brought hundreds of people to the UK who had no legal right to be here,” Warner said.
“Lamin Manneh and his gang charged their customers thousands of pounds and offered a one-stop shop for migrants seeking to enter the UK illegally. They provided fake travel documents, booked flights, and found migrants accommodation and jobs.”
He added that the Crown Prosecution Service would continue working closely with the Home Office and police to prosecute organised criminal gangs involved in facilitating illegal immigration.
Government Welcomes Convictions
UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris welcomed the convictions, saying the government was intensifying efforts against people-smuggling networks.
“This government is going after the gangs exploiting our borders for their own profit,” Norris said.
“With disruptions to smuggling activity including arrests, convictions and seizures up by nearly 50 per cent, we’re putting these criminals behind bars where they belong.”
The Crown Prosecution Service has confirmed it will begin confiscation proceedings against Manneh, Barry, Jallow and Chow in an effort to recover the proceeds of their criminal activities and prevent them from benefiting financially from the operation.
