The National Crime Agency (NCA) recorded a 55% jump in arrests linked to people smuggling offences last year, with 300 arrests made across the UK and overseas between April 2025 and April 2026. This surge follows increased focus and resources dedicated to organised immigration crime, highlighting a significant crackdown on smuggling gangs exploiting migrants and threatening UK border security.
NCA Targets Smuggling Networks
The rise in arrests is credited to a boost in NCA officers specialising in organised immigration crime. NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones confirmed the agency’s expanding efforts to disrupt smuggling gangs operating globally, including in high-risk countries like Iraq and Libya.
Notable Convictions
Among those convicted in UK courts last year are Egyptian-born Ahmed Ebid, jailed for 25 years for running a £12 million illegal boat crossing ring, and Turkish national Adem Savas, sentenced to 11 years for supplying equipment used in half of all Channel crossings. Their convictions highlight the scale and sophistication of people smuggling operations dismantled by the NCA.
International Crackdowns
The NCA’s cross-border investigations led to arrests in countries such as Germany and Belgium, targeting key facilitators of migrant smuggling. Early 2026 saw multiple arrests at Dover port following the interception of a lorry carrying 23 migrants, underscoring continued vigilance near UK borders.
Government Response
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Alex Norris praised the NCA’s efforts as part of “the biggest crackdown on people smuggling ever seen,” emphasising ongoing commitments to tracking, detaining, and prosecuting criminals behind smuggling networks.
Online And Operational Impact
In 2025, the NCA collaborated internationally to seize over 500 boats and engines used for illegal crossings. It also worked with social media platforms to remove more than 10,000 accounts and posts linked to organised immigration crime, disrupting online recruitment and coordination by smuggling gangs.
Rob Jones, NCA Director General: “We are putting more resource into targeting the criminal networks behind organised immigration crime than ever before, making the UK a harder target for these gangs.”
