GOVERNMENT CRACKS DOWN AGAINST PEOPLE SMUGGLING GANGS- Over 30 Arrests made in Common Travel Area Abuse
A Home Office crackdown against people-smuggling gangs and people exploiting the Common Travel Area (CTA) has led to the arrest of 31 people in multiple locations across the UK.
The government upped its tenacity in fending off criminal groups from the UK borders, as Immigration Enforcement teams, alongside UK police forces and international partners, descended on locations in the UK including Belfast, Scotland, Liverpool and Luton as part of a three-day operation.
Checks were conducted at major ports, airports, and road networks across the country, targeting illegal migration and disrupting smuggling routes.
£400,000 of criminal cash and 10 fraudulent identity documents were seized during the operation. The multi-agency operation was led by Immigration Enforcement’s Criminal and Financial Investigations team in Northern Ireland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the National Crime Agency (NCA), other UK police forces, and international partners.
Home Office Immigration Enforcement Inspector, Jonathan Evans, said the operation was a huge success which sends a clear message that the smuggling gangs who break the laws will face serious consequences.
