Blaby Council Shuts 2 Mini-Marts Linked to Twana Jamal, Seeking 3-Month Closure
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 4
Blaby Council Shuts 2 Mini-Marts Linked to Twana Jamal, Seeking 3-Month Closure
2 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jul 4
Summary
Blaby District Council closed two Candy Corner mini-marts for 72 hours after a BBC investigation linked them to convicted people smuggler Twana Jamal and documented him working at both sites.
BBC reporters said Jamal was making deliveries, driving a BMW without a licence and apparently using a false name while claiming asylum in the UK.
Monday 6 July is the next step: the council will ask Leicester Magistrates Court for a three-month closure order under anti-social behaviour laws.
Jamal, an Iraqi Kurd jailed for 5 years in France in 2016, is believed to be seeking asylum despite UK rules saying people imprisoned overseas for 12 months or more should be refused.
The case has intensified scrutiny of border checks after the BBC identified more than 20 other people smugglers living in the UK, with European authorities confirming 15 of them.
The immediate closure of two Candy Corner mini-marts in Blaby by the District Council has sparked a court case and highlighted serious gaps in the UK’s immigration and asylum systems. Central to the case is Twana Jamal, a convicted people smuggler who denied working at the stores, despite reporters observing him behind the till. This discrepancy, along with Jamal’s ability to live and work in the UK while allegedly seeking asylum, exposes how weak data-sharing with Europe and systemic vulnerabilities allow individuals with criminal backgrounds to evade detection. The situation has raised public safety concerns and renewed calls for stronger screening and reforms.