Major People Smuggling Networks Dismantled in UK and Europe-Wide Raids

Authorities have arrested over 20 suspects, including high-ranking members, in a coordinated crackdown on international smuggling operations moving migrants across Europe and into the UK.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) and European law enforcement agencies carried out raids targeting organized crime groups responsible for smuggling at least 750 migrants into the UK and Germany since 2021.
Five men, believed to be Algerian and Egyptian nationals, were arrested in London and charged with facilitating illegal migration from the UK to France in lorries, involving over 200 migrants in 2023.
Iraqi national Hussam Al Ramli, suspected of organizing illegal crossings from Belarus to Poland and onward to Germany, was arrested in Wolverhampton and faces extradition to Poland for smuggling offenses.
The coordinated operation, led by German authorities and involving six other countries, resulted in arrests across Austria, Germany, Serbia, Bosnia, and the Netherlands, with vehicles, cash, and electronic equipment seized.
Officials emphasized the dangerous and profit-driven nature of these smuggling networks, highlighting the risks to migrants' safety and border security, and pledged continued efforts to dismantle such operations.