OPERATION HUDSON
Investigation into Nigerian THB encountered at
Heathrow
Presented by: Kerstin Wheeler - Heathrow Intelligence
Date: 24/04/13
OPERATION HUDSON
• On 18/09/11 and 23/11/11, two Nigerian females produced
forged passports attempting to fly from Heathrow to Paris.
• They were off loaded from the flight to Paris and escorted
to Immigration Control.
• Both maintained their false identities, born 1980, and 1982
and stated that they had been living in the UK illegally prior
to checking in for the Paris flight.
• They were arrested and convicted of Identity Act offences
and sentenced to a term of imprisonment.
2
OPERATION HUDSON
• They had in fact arrived direct from Nigeria and
had remained overnight at Heathrow airport
before attempting to continue their journey to
France. They did not have visas, or genuine
passports and had never been to the UK before.
3
OPERATION HUDSON
• I met with Heathrow Police, Heathrow’s Criminal and
Financial Investigation Team (CFI), UKHTC and SOCA’s
Vulnerable Persons Team as I suspected that both females
could be potential victims of trafficking, under the control of
an organised criminal network.
• Simultaneously whilst in prison, both females were age
assessed by social services as children (aged 14 and 15
years respectively).
4
OPERATION HUDSON
• Both girls were removed from prison and their convictions
were quashed.
• They were placed into foster care and ABE interviews were
carried out.
• Both girls disclosed details of sexual exploitation.
• On 06/04/12, both girls were reported missing to Police,
who then launched a high profile missing persons alert
circulated in local news and on the BBC.
5
OPERATION HUDSON
• Joint Police/UKBF research identified that Odosa
USIOBAIFO had been in contact with the girls the day
before they went missing.
• Odosa USIOBAIFO was linked to an associate who had
who had travelled on the same flights from Nigeria as the
two girls.
• 11/04/12 – One of the best days I’ve ever had at
work
6
OPERATION HUDSON
• On 11/04/12, Stansted Intel contacted me in connection
with routine checks they were making into airline bookings
linked to two females who had used forged passports to
travel from Stansted to Valencia on 07/04/12.
• One passenger had been detected and was due to be
removed from Spain, back to Stansted. The other
passenger had made it through and not been stopped.
• An O. USIOBAIFO was responsible for both airline
reservations.
7
OPERATION HUDSON
• The passenger who was returned to Stansted on
11/04/12, was one of the missing girls.
• International enquiries continue into the
whereabouts of the other girl who travelled to
Spain.
• Odosa USIOBAIFO’s associate will be pursued.
8
OPERATION HUDSON
Timeline
• Girls trafficked and intercepted by UK authorities on
18/09/11 and 23/11/11
• Airline tickets were booked on 05/04/13
• The girls went missing on 06/04/13
• The girls re-trafficked to Spain on 07/04/13
• One girl returned to safety on 11/04/13
• Odosa USIOBAIFO arrested on 03/09/12 and charged with
conspiracy to traffick for sexual exploitation.
• He was found Guilty on 06/03/13 after a 4 week trial.
9
OPERATION HUDSON
On 11/03/13, at Isleworth
Crown Court, Odosa
USIOBAIFO was
sentenced to 14 years
imprisonment for his
involvement in trafficking
the two teenage girls to
Europe for sexual
exploitation.
10
OPERATION HUDSON
• THANKYOU
11