𝐔𝐊-𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐉𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 £𝟏 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐦
- Gunjuronline.com
- 7 hours ago
- 2 min read
A UK-based criminal network led by a Gambian national has been sentenced to lengthy prison terms after operating a sophisticated fake passport and illegal immigration scheme worth more than £1 million, according to the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
The gang leader, Lamin Manneh, 51, was originally sentenced to more than six years in prison in 2024 after admitting to facilitating the illegal entry of two migrants. On 26 June 2026, he received an additional sentence of six years and eight months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration and money laundering.
According to prosecutors, the criminal network enabled hundreds of people, primarily from The Gambia, to enter the United Kingdom illegally between January 2022 and July 2025. While the exact number of migrants involved is unknown, investigators discovered images of 559 unique passports on Manneh’s mobile phone.
The CPS said the gang operated a highly organised scheme by obtaining genuine Gambian passports that already contained valid UK visas. The documents were then altered by replacing the original photographs on both the biometric page and the visa with those of paying clients.
In one particularly alarming example, prosecutors revealed that the gang repeatedly used the passport of a deceased Gambian man to bring three different individuals into the UK by changing the passport photograph each time.
Beyond providing forged travel documents, the network also arranged flights, collected migrants from UK airports, and helped secure accommodation and employment after their arrival.
Several other members of the gang were also sentenced at Leeds Crown Court:
Alieu Barry (31) – six years’ imprisonment.
Mariama Jallow (46) – four years and eleven months.
Ida Chow (40) – three years and eight months.
Musu Sanyang (49) – two years and seven months.
Pa Sanneh (44) – two years and one month.
Sulayman Samateh (46) – three years.
Dodou Cham (31) – a 12-month community order with 60 hours of unpaid work.
Manneh, Barry, Jallow and Chow were also convicted of money laundering offences linked to the proceeds of the criminal enterprise.
The investigation began in early 2024 after a traveller was intercepted at Manchester Airport using the passport of a Gambian man whose travel documents had been stolen during a burglary two years earlier. The traveller later admitted paying the equivalent of £5,200 for the forged passport and travel arrangements.
Commenting on the case, CPS Specialist Prosecutor Robert Warner described the operation as a “sophisticated plot” that provided migrants with a “one-stop shop” for illegal entry into the UK, including forged documents, flights, accommodation and employment.
UK Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris, said the government remains committed to dismantling criminal gangs that exploit immigration systems for financial gain and noted increased enforcement efforts against organised people-smuggling networks.
The CPS has confirmed it will return to court to begin confiscation proceedings against Manneh, Barry, Jallow and Chow in an effort to recover the proceeds of their criminal activities.
The convictions mark one of the UK’s largest prosecutions involving the fraudulent use of genuine Gambian passports to facilitate illegal immigration.