THE KAZAWI GANG is an involved person under the Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025 as they are or have engaged in a relevant activity, namely people smuggling. THE KAZAWI GANG is responsible for, is involved in the facilitation of, and profits financially from, people smuggling, in the form of unlawful arrival into a country of a person who is not a national of that country or permanently resident in it. Namely, THE KAZAWI GANG is a highly professional, hierarchical network that spans multiple countries which has developed a strong reputation for people smuggling. They established a “mini-state” in Europe, advertised their services via social media, and made reprisals against migrants who cannot meet their costs.

Gang operates from North Africa to the Balkans

2025-07-23

UK

The Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025

UK horizontal

Human Rights

Asset freeze and making available provisions, Travel bans

The global irregular migration and trafficking in persons sanctions (GIM) regime was established on 23 July 2025 via the Global Irregular Migration and Trafficking in Persons Sanctions Regulations 2025. The primary legislation underpinning the Regulations is the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. The sanctions regime allows the UK government to impose sanctions to tackle people-smuggling, trafficking in persons and the instrumentalisation of migration for the purpose of destabilisation around the world. The regime is not intended to target individual countries or individual migrants. Rather, it is intended to target those that exploit some of the most vulnerable in society, putting lives at risk for their own gain and profiting from the dangerous smuggling and trafficking of innocent people. The measures which can be imposed under the GIM sanctions regime are travel bans, asset freezes, and director disqualifications.