'Iranian smuggling ring': Nine people arrested
- Published
Officials arrested seven people in raids across the UK and two at Manchester Airport
Nine people have been arrested in an inquiry into the suspected smuggling of Iranian nationals into the UK.
In a co-ordinated operation, five were arrested in Greater Manchester in dawn raids on Monday, while a 29-year-old Iranian man was held in Northampton.
Another Iranian man, 29, was detained in Glasgow.
On Tuesday, a British woman, 46, and a 33-year-old Iranian man were arrested at Manchester Airport. All nine have been bailed pending further inquiries.
Home Office immigration officials said their investigation into the suspected smuggling ring started in March and had been carried out with French border police, Europol and Eurojust.
The five arrested in Greater Manchester on Monday included:
Three Iranian men, aged between 33 and 35, in Salford
A 39-year-old Polish woman in Salford
A 36-year-old Iranian man in Whalley Range
Dave Magrath, an assistant director at the Home Office's Immigration Enforcement, said: "Our investigation is targeting an organised network suspected of being involved in a complex and systematic attempt to evade the UK's immigration controls."