Edmonton forger who made fake passports for illegal migrants jailed

A north London man who made fake identity documents for people smuggling groups has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Algerian national Radouane Bouhafs, 43, made fake passports, security licences and ID cards at a “forgery factory” outside his home in Edmonton , north London, said the National Crime Agency .

The documents were then used by criminal gangs smuggling migrants into the country, allowing them to work illegally and claim benefits.

A June 2024 raid uncovered the sophisticated forgery operation at an outbuilding at the back of his home which contained printers, computers, blank cards and embossed gold foil.

He created fake Irish and French EU passports, and UK, Italian and Belgian driving licences.

Bouhafs was paid tens of thousands of pounds for the documents, without him declaring any legitimate income.

He was charged with seven counts of possessing false ID documents with intent, and one count of possessing items used to make false ID cards and confessed to all charges at Wood Green Crown Court on July 25.

Bouhafs was jailed at the same court on Thursday.

NCA Senior Investigating Officer John Turner said: “Radouane Bouhafs worked on behalf of organised crime groups, providing them with false documents that they would then pass on to the people they had brought into the UK illegally.

"They would then be used to make it appear like the holder was in the UK legitimately, allowing them to rent property, open bank accounts, register to claim benefits or get work.

"He was an enabler for wider criminality. His services would have been a key part of the offer advertised by smugglers and the price they charged to migrants.”