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A former Hucknall mechanic, who was one of the world’s most wanted people smugglers, has been arrested after a two-year international manhunt.

Iraqi national Barzan Kamal Majeed, nicknamed ‘Scorpion’ after his WhatsApp avatar, has been on the run since 2022 when was handed – in his absence – a 10-year jail sentence and fined 968,000 Euros for people smuggling offences by a court in Belgium.

Since then, he has been the subject of a manhunt by British and Belgian investigators that also involved the National Crime Agency (NCA) and Interpol.

Majeed was finally tracked down and arrested in Iraq last weekend following an investigation by the BBC.

Former Hucknall man Barzan Majeed, known as Scorpion, has been arrested for people smuggling. Photo: Submitted

Posting on X (formerly Twitter), the NCA said: “The NCA has been informed of the arrest of Barzan Majeed – nicknamed ‘Scorpion’ - in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq.

"Majeed, who had previously lived in Nottingham, was the subject of an NCA wanted appeal in November 2022 after he was convicted of people smuggling offences in his absence in Belgium, following a joint UK-Belgian investigation.

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"He was detained by Kurdish regional security forces on May 12.

"The NCA’s international network remains in contact with partners in connection with the investigation.

“We are grateful to the BBC for highlighting his case, and remain determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in smuggling people to the UK, wherever they operate.”

Majeed moved to the UK in 2013 and lived in the Hucknall area, working as a mechanic.

He was deported from the UK in 2015 to northern Iraq.

The Belgian prosecution followed a joint investigation by the NCA, Belgian, Dutch and French authorities into 31 separate attempts to smuggle migrants into the UK between July 2018 and November 2019 using small boats, lorries and shipping containers.

Many of the migrants found had Majeed’s number stored in their mobile phone, under the name Scorpion.

The investigation had already resulted in the UK conviction of fellow crime group member Nzar Jabar Mohamad, who was jailed for 10 years in October 2021 after admitting attempting to bring 21 migrants to the UK using lorries and small boats.

But Majeed had remained at large until being tracked by the BBC and security forces this month.

Former Hucknall man nicknamed 'Scorpion' arrested for people smuggling after international manhunt