Men arrested over speedboat migrant smuggling
- Published
Belgian police prevented this boat leaving the coast of Flanders on 30 October
Two men have been arrested in Nottingham in connection with a foiled attempt to smuggle migrants from Belgium to the UK using a speedboat.
Twelve migrants and two British men were previously detained on 30 October when Belgian police prevented a boat leaving the coast of Flanders.
The latest arrests were made during a raid at a property in the Sherwood area of Nottingham on 29 November.
The arrests follow an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Branch commander Colin Williams said: "Our investigation is focused on individuals suspected of involvement in the October attempt to circumvent UK border controls using a high-powered boat.
"Tackling people smugglers is a priority for the NCA, and we are doing all we can to target the networks impacting on the UK, whether they are operating on our shores or overseas."
The men detained in Belgium were believed to be Albanian nationals, and the British men arrested alongside them were from Basingstoke in Hampshire.
NCA officers also previously detained a third suspected member of the crime group in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
In Nottingham, they arrested two Albanian men, aged 48 and 44, on suspicion of assisting unlawful immigration.
They remain in custody being questioned.
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