International criminal investigations have been launched into Chinese rubber dinghies being shipped through the UK for use by people smugglers in Channel crossings. The National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed multiple probes are active.
Investigations and Seizures
Dan Cannatella-Barcroft, from the NCA, said there were "several investigations of note that are keeping across the supply of equipment [that] will keep giving us opportunities to disrupt it wherever it appears."
This follows the seizure of a shipping container from China at the Port of Felixstowe, Suffolk, last month. It contained at least 25 inflatable dinghies and outboard engines, destined for Hamburg, Germany. The vessels, with capacity for 80 passengers each, were believed to be intended for gangs orchestrating mass Channel crossings.
Origin and Scale
The majority of small boats used for Channel crossings are thought to originate from China. This includes a 15-metre "mega-dinghy" that transported a record 230 individuals to Dover, Kent, last week.
In May, German police confiscated thousands of life jackets, 360 pumps, and more than 30 boats near Dusseldorf. Much of the equipment was in "go kits," with boat, engine, pump, and fuel bundled for deployment on the French coast.
Arrests and Sentences
Home Office figures show arrests linked to organised immigration crime surged by 74% over the past year, reaching 1,900. Most were in the UK, with 200 by overseas partners. The NCA confiscated 634 boat engines in the year to April, almost double the previous year. Ten small boat pilots have been sentenced in the UK within two months for endangering lives at sea.
Home Office minister Anna Turley said small boat crossings had generally fallen by 40%, despite the record arrival. She told Times Radio: "That is some substantial progress and I think some of that has had a dispersive effect, that you can see these people traffickers, these smugglers, these gangs are getting increasingly desperate, they're forcing more and more people onto boats that are absolutely not seaworthy and it's horrifying to see. They are moving further down the coast."
She added there was a "long way to go" given recent crossings by larger vessels, and the Government pledged to "redouble" efforts to crack down on illegal crossings.
