Channel migrants: Man arrested after people smuggling probe
- Published
More than 33,600 migrants have crossed the English Channel so far this year
A 30-year-old man has been arrested as part of an investigation into the smuggling of people across the English Channel in small boats.
The Albanian national was detained by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers in Surbiton in south-west London.
He is suspected of being involved in an Albanian organised crime group co-ordinating the movements of migrants from France to the UK.
The man was arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.
He was arrested as part of a planned operation, the NCA said.
Jacque Beer, the NCAs regional head of investigation, said: "Attempts to reach the UK by small boat are incredibly dangerous, and we know a high percentage are facilitated by organised criminal networks of varying sophistication.
"These networks do not care about the safety or security of those they transport, they seek to exploit them for profit.
"We believe today's operation will have disrupted the activity of one such network, and our investigation continues."
The NCA said much of the criminal activity surrounding people smuggling across the Channel took place outside the UK.
A spokesman for the NCA said it had "built up our intelligence sharing effort with law enforcement partners in France, Belgium and beyond.
"This includes having NCA officers based in those countries, sharing intelligence and working side by side on joint investigations."
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