Portsmouth: Man charged with people smuggling and money laundering

A man has been charged with smuggling hundreds of people into the UK by boats and lorries.

Ali Omar Karim, 45, was arrested in Portsmouth on Wednesday after an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) into a Kurdish organised crime group.

He was charged with people smuggling and money laundering.

He appeared before Portsmouth Magistrates' Court on Thursday and was remanded in custody to appear at the city's crown court on April 15, according to the NCA.

A NCA spokesman said: "A second man arrested as part of the same investigation in Italy last month remains in custody as extradition proceedings continue."