Four arrested over inflatable boat migrant smuggling
- Published
Four people have been arrested in connection with a foiled attempt to smuggle migrants from mainland Europe to the UK using a speedboat.
Twelve migrants and two British men were previously detained on 30 October when Belgian police prevented a boat leaving the coast of Flanders.
Two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, were arrested in Nottingham on Tuesday.
Investigators claim they used a boat to travel to Belgium to collect migrants, landing at Margate in Kent.
Also arrested was a 46-year-old Irish man in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and a 51-year-old man from Albania in Hove, Sussex.
The arrests follow an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
The NCA claims all four people arrested on Tuesday morning are part of a gang organising a series of people smuggling runs to the UK from Europe, including a number of crossing events last year.
NCA branch commander Colin Williams said: "These arrests follow an extensive investigation into individuals who we believe were involved in a number of migrant crossings from Belgium to the Kent coast in 2022.
"Tackling people smuggling continues to be a priority for the NCA as we target and disrupt organised crime groups at every step of the route."
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