Seven people have been arrested in coordinated raids across England in connection with an Albanian people smuggling network believed to have brought hundreds of migrants into the UK illegally. The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the operation, which took place on Tuesday in Hartlepool, Surrey, Oxfordshire and London, may have 'significantly disrupted' the criminal enterprise.
The alleged ringleader of the network is among those detained, according to the NCA. Deputy director Andrea Wilson said the smuggling saw migrants 'exploited for profit by criminals who have no regard for human life'. She warned that the penalties are 'severe and life changing' and that it is 'simply not worth the risk'.
Investigators believe the smugglers had contacts in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Poland, and used lorries and hired vans to transport migrants to the UK from northern France. Some migrants are thought to have paid between £20,000 and £25,000 for the journey. Financial investigators have identified bank accounts linked to the network, some showing hundreds of thousands of pounds in turnover, and approximately £30,000 in cash was recovered during the raids.
NCA branch commander Richard Harrison said the network 'claimed to provide a top of the range service and charged accordingly'. He added that the activity represented 'a significant threat to both the safety of the migrants involved and the security of UK border controls'.
The six men, aged between 26 and 44, and a 26-year-old woman are being questioned on suspicion of offences including facilitating illegal immigration, conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration, money laundering and possessing false ID documents. The NCA noted that Border Force officers had stopped six smuggling attempts linked to the network in the six months to December 2020, and two further attempts were stopped in May.
