One of the “most active” Channel smuggling gangs has been dismantled in an international operation, the Daily Express has learned.
Some 15 Iraqi-Kurdish suspects were arrested after a joint investigation by the Belgian, French and German authorities.
Eurojust said the 18-month probe “led to the dismantling of one of the most active networks involved in the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel in small boats.”
The gang are said to have smuggled asylums seekers from the Middle East and Eastern Africa in “low quality inflatable boats”.
Further details are expected to be released on Thursday, but it is understood houses and storage units were raided in Germany.
The Daily Express understands British officers were aware of the operation and provided intelligence. They were said to have been embedded in the Eurojust Coordination Cell.
Kurdish sources have described the arrests as “big”, adding some of those arrested are “big names” among the smuggling organisations.
This newspaper also understands the Government was delighted with the raids as it shows that European law enforcement agencies are proactively going after the criminals forcing migrants into dangerous boats bound for Britain.
Border Force is set to be given real-time intelligence on migrants entering and crossing Europe as part of a new deal between the UK and EU.
Downing Street on Monday confirmed the agreement would see “both sides” share information on the smuggling gangs endangering tens of thousands of lives.
The Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman added that Frontex “has unparalleled insight into illegal migration and cross-border crime on the European continent, so it is obviously right that we have these conversations to reach these working arrangements that will give us new ways to tackle illegal migration.”
This would help Border Force’s understanding of smuggler routes through Turkey and the Western Balkans.
A total of 1,716 migrants have crossed the Channel in 38 dinghies so far this year – an average of 45 people crammed into each vessel.
Last year, 29,437 asylum seekers reached the UK by small boat – significantly less than 2022 when a record 45,755 people made the treacherous journey.
