Three arrested in Birmingham and London as police zone in on trafficker ‘agent’ bringing people to UK in small boats
Officers from the National Crime Agency
PA
Three people have been arrested as police zone in on a trafficker "agent" accused of bringing migrants to the United Kingdom in small boats.
Two men and a women were detained as part of the National Crime Agency's probe into a crime group involved in smuggling people across the Channel.
A 53-year-old man from Birmingham, who was arrested in nearby Sutton Coldfield, was suspected of acting as an "agent" for those who wish to transport people illegally from mainland Europe.
He is accused of having had contact with people smuggling gangs, arranging for spaces on boats and organising payments.
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A 42-year-old woman, who the NCA described as his "female partner", was also arrested.
A third person, identified as a 39-year-old man, was detained separately at an address in Hounslow, West London.
NCA investigators will now question the trio, who remain in custody, on suspicion of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration.
A stock image of a man being arrested by the NCA
PA
Officers seized a number of phones and a quantity of cash.
Investigators will examine the items as part of their inquiry.
An NCA official confirmed the investigation is part of wider efforts to combat the threat posed by organised immigration criminal gangs.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) in Westminster, London.
PA
NCA Branch Commander Mick Pope said: “Whether they use small boats or HGVs, people smugglers pose a threat not just to UK border security but also to those they transport.
"This is why disrupting and dismantling the networks involved is a priority for us.
“This investigation is one of more than 90 currently being undertaken by the NCA against the threat posed by organised immigration crime, and it will continue following today’s arrests.”
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