Overview
- Smugglers are pooling craft and loading far larger inflatable boats after a sustained crackdown on small vessels reduced the supply of usable boats.
- French police say they now intercept about two thirds of small boats before they reach the coast, and UK officials report more than 1,100 boats and engines seized since 2024.
- A single crossing carrying a record 230 people was photographed in August 2026, and a separate early-August fire forced the rescue of about 170 people, underscoring heightened dangers.
- Downing Street has agreed to send a 45-officer UK-funded surge team to cover beaches such as Le Touquet, Berck, Le Tréport and Dieppe to try to prevent launches of larger vessels.
- Prices and tactics have changed as a result: smugglers now charge up to €2,000 per person, demand cash up front, move launch sites westward, and critics question whether seizures and patrols will stop organised networks long term.