33 arrests made in NI people-smuggling operation

Thirty-three people have been arrested as part of an operation in what the Home Office has described as a "Northern Ireland people-smuggler crackdown".

Ports and airports in Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales were targeted by Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams during a three-day operation.

The operation also involved the PSNI, other UK police forces, Garda (Irish police), National Crime Agency, Border Force and international partners.

The operation focused on abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA), the agreement between the UK and Ireland allowing for free movement between the two areas.

A part of it, £17,000 in suspected criminal assets were seized and a heavy goods vehicle detained over an unpaid Clandestine Entrants Civil Penalty worth £144,000.

The Home Office said that since July 2024, more than 60 arrests have been made and over £405,000 of criminal cash seized in the crackdown on abuse of the CTA.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle said: "This government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash.

"We are breaking down the criminal networks at their root with enforcement visits and arrests up by 38%."

Home Office Immigration Enforcement deputy director Ben Thomas said: "Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities.

"The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the Common Travel Area and undermine the UK's border security."