Overview

• Three Afghan men convicted in Belgium for people smuggling and sexual abuse of migrant boys were arrested in the UK this month.
• The gang smuggled thousands of migrants, including children, from Afghanistan through Europe into the UK, often via small boats across the Channel.
• Victims, including minors, were subjected to severe sexual abuse, with footage of the assaults used for blackmail and coercion into further exploitation.
• The National Crime Agency (NCA), in collaboration with Belgian authorities, spent two years building evidence against the gang, leading to the conviction of 23 members in Belgium.
• The arrested men now face extradition to Belgium to serve sentences ranging from three to ten years, with fines also imposed.