Boats capable of smuggling 1,700 illegal immigrants seized at UK airport

Inflatable boats capable of carrying up to 1,700 illegal immigrants across the Channel have been seized at East Midlands Airport.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and the Home Office Intelligence Team stopped the shipment on October 2 after discovering the boats in pallets within air freight being moved from Turkey to the Netherlands.

Craig Turner, deputy director of investigations for the NCA, said that he had "no doubt the boats we've seized here would have ended up being used to risk the lives of a huge number of people in the Channel had we not stepped in".

According to the agency, the boats are around 9m in length and each could have been used to transport up to 68 people across the Channel.

It's the second time a large amount of small boat equipment has been seized in the UK this year, but the first time a detection has been made in air freight.

In July, the NCA said 25 boats and 25 engines were seized in a maritime consignment at Felixstowe.

Mr Turner added: "This work is happening both overseas, with international partners, and here in the UK. So far it has led to the seizure of in excess of 1,600 boats and engines, denying their use to criminal networks.

"Our assessment is that this is having an impact, driving up the cost of boats and engines, making it more difficult to get them to the coast and eating into the profits of the criminal gangs involved."

Border minister Anna Turley added: "This seizure of 25 small boats delivers yet another blow to the evil smuggling gangs.

"Disruptions to supply lines like these are happening more than ever before as we bear down on the illegal and dangerous crossings.

"We are making progress, with this summer seeing the lowest number of small boat arrivals since 2020 and arrests for immigration crime up 74% on the previous year. We will continue to be relentless as we restore control to our border."

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