Man suspected of involvement in people smuggling arrested in Aylesbury

A man has been arrested in Aylesbury as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into people smuggling.

The 46-year-old Irishman was one of four people arrested this morning (Tuesday, February 28) as part of an NCA investigation into a group alleged to have smuggled migrants to the UK in boats from Belgium. Two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, were arrested in Nottingham.

Investigators allege the three have been involved in acquiring a rigid-hulled inflatable boat (RHIB) and using it to travel to Belgium to collect migrants, landing at Margate in Kent.

A 51-year-old man from Albania was arrested in Hove for his suspected role in assisting unlawful immigration.

The men are all alleged to be part of a gang organising a series of people smuggling runs to the UK from Europe, including a number of crossings last year.

Today’s operation is linked to two arrests in Belgium in October 2022, where two men from Basingstoke and Leicester were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling offences as they arrived on the coast near Nieuwpoort at 4.30am.

Twelve migrants, including a child, all believed to be Albanian nationals, were taken into custody by the Belgian authorities.

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.”