A gang trafficking Albanians to the UK via Spain has been dismantled following an operation between the Spanish Guardia Civil and the National Crime Agency.
The gang were moving Albanians seeking a new life in the UK through Bilbao and Santander and then onto the UK via ferries bound for Portsmouth, Southampton and Liverpool. It is believed they came direct from Albania, while some were recruited from camps around the Spanish coast.
“Working closely with our Spanish counterparts, we have been able to dismantle their operation and prevent further lives being put at risk. This operation demonstrates how the NCA is determined to take action against people smugglers at every step of the route towards the UK, including upstream in transit countries like Spain,” said NCA International Regional Manager Steve Reynolds.
Described by Spanish prosecutors as high-level and well-organised, the criminal gang would provide migrants with accommodation and food until they successfully stowed away for their journey to the UK.
Each is believed to have paid between 3,000 and 15,000 euros to be smuggled.
“People smugglers put lives at risk, which is why disrupting and dismantling criminal networks like this is a priority for the NCA and our partners. In this case, we were faced with a crime group prepared to smuggle migrants in lorries over one of the longer ferry and freight crossings into the UK. The dangers of that are self-evident.
The actual numbers who used the route are unknown, but around fifty individuals who made the crossing has been identified by the UK and Spanish authorities and linked to the network.
NCA officers based in Spain and the UK worked with the Guardia Civil for over a year to identify the ringleaders of the organisation.
Among those detained are two men believed to be the heads of the criminal network, who predominantly lived in Albania but were arrested while they were in Spain. All seven will now face prosecution in Spanish courts.
During the raids, which were supported by NCA officers based in Spain, investigators seized numerous items of interest, including telephones, computers, bank cards and cash receipts, and several identity documents and passports of various nationalities.
Graham Hancock, who heads up the NCA-led Invigor UK Organised Immigration Crime Taskforce, added:
“Organised immigration crime is something which is constantly evolving, and we are always alive to the changes in the threat, whether that be different routes or methods used by the criminal networks involved. The transnational nature of these groups makes international collaboration essential. We are targeting those that impact the UK at every stage of the journey – from source, in transit, to destination country.”
Over the last few months, the number of Albanians fleeing to the UK via illegal Channel crossings has soared, leading to a storm in the British media and a harsh response from UK officials.
You can read more about why they are leaving the country here and in this Vice World News article.
