A shocking case has emerged in the United Kingdom, revealing that a UK immigration officer was himself an illegal immigrant and is now facing serious criminal charges for allegedly stealing from migrants arriving in Britain via the English Channel.

British media report that the case involves 36-year-old Besmir Matera, who has been charged alongside four other immigration officers with conspiracy to steal during the years 2021–2022. Prosecutors allege the officers took cash from migrants’ personal belongings after they were rescued from small boats and brought to Dover.

Matera is also facing additional charges for illegally entering the UK between 2003 and 2004, using a false identity in an asylum application, and possessing forged documents, including passports and a driving licence, during various periods between 2011 and 2022.

According to the prosecution, Matera entered the UK at the age of 14 on a school trip but was later reported missing in Brighton after the rest of the school group from Albania returned home. He reportedly told UK authorities that he was from Kosovo.

Prosecutor Rosalind Earis told Westminster Magistrates’ Court that the defendants worked in a specialist immigration unit dealing with migrants arriving on small boats and allegedly conspired to steal significant sums of money from migrants, which were then shared among them.

In total, six immigration officers have been charged in the case. All have been suspended from duty, released on bail, and are due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on 26 February for a pre-trial hearing.