Five people have been arrested and charged as part of an ongoing National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into migrant smuggling from the UK to France in lorries.
NCA officers descended on properties across London on the morning of 20 November to arrest the men, aged 43 to 54, who are all thought to be Algerian and Egyptian nationals.
One of those arrested, a 52-year-old Algerian national, is suspected of being high-ranking member of the people smuggling crime network.
The other four are accused of transporting migrants in cars and vans to be loaded into lorries.
They all appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court today (21 November) charged with conspiracy to facilitate the illegal entry of a person into an EU country, namely France.
The arrests were made after more than 200 North African migrants, including children, were discovered in lorry trailers travelling from the UK to France on separate occasions in 2023.
Twenty people have been arrested as part of the investigation to date, including five men who have since been convicted and jailed for transporting migrants.
Chris Hill, NCA Branch Commander, said:
"These arrests represent a key moment in our ongoing investigation into a large-scale criminal network responsible for smuggling North African migrants from the UK to France.
"People smugglers don't care about the safety or wellbeing of human beings they transport, whether it is in boats or HGVs. They're driven solely by profits. The same crime groups smuggling people out of the country are often engaged in bringing people in too, so operations like this allow us to target their UK footprint.
"People leaving the UK in lorries may be doing so because they are wanted by law enforcement, they may be trying to dodge French immigration checks, or they may be being trafficked or exploited.
"The risks to both the people being transported and to border security remains, regardless of the direction they are travelling in.
"This is one of over 70 ongoing NCA operations into gangs or individuals operating at the top tier of organised immigration crime, which remains a priority for the NCA."
21 November 2024
