Dozens of Channel migrant dinghies, engines, and so-called “go kits” were seized during raids on smugglers’ warehouses in Germany. National Crime Agency officers said more than 30 boats, 20 engines, 360 pumps and more than 9,000 lifejackets were taken during operations in the North Rhine Westphalia region.
Some of the equipment seized was found in “go kits” – boat, engine, pump and fuel – packaged up and ready to be taken to the French coast. Investigators believe the seizures prevented 2,000 migrants from crossing the Channel.
Smugglers are importing ‘bulk’ orders of equipment from countries like China and Turkey and storing them in German warehouses to prevent detection from French police.
NCA director international Will Middleton said: “The NCA continues to work with partners in Germany, France and across Europe to tackle the supply lines for equipment used by people smuggling gangs. This operation will have dealt a significant blow to the network involved, preventing boats and engines making it to the French coast, and I’m grateful for the support of our law enforcement partners in France and Germany. Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA, and we’re determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the gangs who risk lives for profit.”
Minister for border security and asylum, Alex Norris, said: “By seizing dozens of small boats and engines which would have been used for illegal Channel crossings, we’re striking the smuggling gangs where it hurts – their pockets. Thanks to the excellent co-operation between the National Crime Agency and our international partners, thousands of potential small boat crossings have been prevented. With disruptions to criminal smuggling activity, including arrests, convictions and seizures up by nearly 50%, we’re delivering a direct blow to those who think they can abuse our borders.”
Crime gangs are increasingly looking for people with ‘clean’ records to transport the floating death-traps from warehouses in Germany to launch points in northern France, intelligence has revealed. They are offering “easy cash” and stuffing the equipment, including engines and lifejackets “floor to ceiling” in everyday cars because they are harder to track and check as they cross the border. The National Crime Agency believes a crackdown on the continent is forcing kingpins “to expand their reach to try and get more and more drivers involved”.
Boat suppliers are compiling “go kits” – comprising an inflatable dinghy, engine, pump and life jackets - for smugglers, costing around £10,000. The smuggling gangs are believed to be using safehouses near Bonn, Cologne, Frankfurt, Essen, Dusseldorf, Bochum and Dortmund.
The National Crime Agency warned a sharp increase in deaths in 2024 was down to asylum seekers “opportunistically” charging through the water and bundling onto boats, leading to those on the vessels being crushed. But the crime kingpins have started “catering” to poorer migrants, mainly from the Horn of Africa, and this has led to a lower “average crossing prices”. Smugglers are adapting their methods again to avoid detection from French and German police officers. They are then splitting them into single packages – enough to launch a small boat packed with dozens of people – to avoid a single police bust destroying their profits.
