Investigations Editor Zak Garner-Purkis from the Daily Express recently visited a migrant camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk and was left stunned by what he saw. The team confronted people smugglers who were caught on camera promising to take migrants to Britain by small boat.
Speaking on the Daily Expresso podcast, Garner-Purkis, who organised for a contact to pose as a migrant seeking to travel illegally to the UK, discussed the open drug dealing and brazen sale of lifejackets at the camp with host JJ Anisiobi.
Open drug dealing and lifejacket sales
Garner-Purkis said: "After we'd put in the reporter undercover, me and my colleague went in to confront people selling lifejackets and people selling drugs. They just sat there. I went to the guy, 'you're selling drugs'. And he pulled his snoody thing up and just goes 'yes'. Went up to the guy selling lifejackets and they just didn't care."
The Express team found that men linked to a Kurdish gang organising crossings were operating a market profiting from migrants. Working from hastily erected stalls, they sold lifejackets that did not look suitable for crossing the English Channel, as well as cannabis.
Deals arranged within 20 minutes
The reporting team also found that deals to travel to the UK by small boats could be arranged within 20 minutes of arrival at the camp, despite the camp sitting in full view of French police officers.
After spending time at the camp, the team became unwelcome and was pelted with rocks. The producer was inches away from being struck by a mango, and a full can of Coca-Cola was hurled in their direction.
Government response
A Home Office spokesperson said: "We are determined to investigate and lock up vile people smugglers. The National Crime Agency has over 100 live investigations, and arrests, convictions and seizures up by nearly 50% this year. The Home Secretary's landmark deal with France is also improving our joint efforts to put people smugglers behind bars, leading to 480 smugglers arrested in 2025, while building on the over 42,000 migrants stopped from crossing the Channel since the election."
