Thirty-five arrested in people smuggling crackdown

The Home Office said the arrests were part of a three-day operation this week

The Home Office has said 35 people have been arrested, as part of a crackdown on people smuggling gangs "exploiting the Common Travel Area (CTA)".

It said 17 of the 35 were arrested in Northern Ireland and the remainder were across Scotland and England.

Immigration enforcement teams, alongside police forces and other international partners, "descended on locations including Belfast, Scotland, Liverpool and Manchester", it added.

The Home Office said it was part of a three-day operation this week.

'Vulnerable people'

During the operation, £5,000 of "criminal cash, a car and two fraudulent identity documents were seized".

"These documents, which are critical tools used by people-smuggling gangs, enable them to evade immigration controls," the Home Office said.

"Created by criminal networks, counterfeit documents allow migrants to bypass border checks, trapping vulnerable people in further illegal activities.

"By exploiting these people, the gangs not only profit but also place them at risk of severe legal and personal consequences."

The multi-agency operation was led by Immigration Enforcement's Criminal and Financial Investigations team (CFI), in partnership with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), other UK police forces, and An Garda Síochána (Irish police).

The minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said the government "will not stand by as criminal gangs exploit vulnerable people, giving them false hope of a better life in the UK".

"We are taking the fight to them on every front with our new Border Security Command," she added.

"Dismantling the business models of these gangs does not just apply to the small boats trade – we are also stamping out other routes into the UK to bring them to justice and slash their profits."

Home Office Immigration Enforcement Inspector, Jonathan Evans, said it was "taking action to ensure we stay a step ahead of these criminal groups, disrupting them at the earliest possible stage".

"We will continue working closely with our partners in the UK and Ireland to ensure no one abuses the Common Travel Area or the UK's borders," he added.

What is the Common Travel area?

The Common Travel Area (CTA) is a special travel zone covering the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands.

Under its rules, UK and Irish citizens can travel freely between the countries.

However, CTA rights do not extend to migrants, even if they hold lawful residency in the UK or Ireland.

In September, 14 people were arrested at Belfast's two airports and the docks over a three-day period by the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement.

It was part of a UK-wide operation targeting organised crime groups using the CTA.