Major Raids Smash Migrant Smuggling Gangs Using Lorries
Early this morning, police launched coordinated raids across London and beyond to take down a criminal gang suspected of smuggling migrants into the UK using lorries.
Senior Gang Member Nabbed in Dagenham
A 39-year-old man, believed to be the ringleader, was arrested in Dagenham on suspicion of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration. Three other men were also arrested in Ilford, Leytonstone, and Streatham on related facilitation charges.
How The Smugglers Operated
These arrests stem from two shocking incidents in 2019 where 32 migrants were found hidden inside HGVs in the Netherlands and France.
- Gang members broke into lorries to load migrants without the truck drivers’ knowledge.
- They fitted the vehicles with tracking devices to monitor their journey to the UK.
“This operation has targeted those we suspect are key members of a people smuggling crime group,” said NCA branch commander Andy Noyes.
“Organised immigration crime is a persistent and dangerous threat. Smugglers have no regard for the lives of those they transport. Hiding people in lorries might keep it out of sight, but it’s no less deadly, as we have seen from tragic past cases.”
Crackdown Continues Across Europe
This is the National Crime Agency’s second major anti-smuggling operation this week. Officers from across Europe coordinated raids against a network suspected of ferrying thousands of people to the UK in small boats.
About 40 suspects have been arrested, marking one of the largest crackdowns on people smuggling gangs to date.
“We are determined to dismantle organised crime groups and their ruthless business models,” added Noyes, “working closely with partners both home and abroad.”
