Six arrested for “alleged” small boats for smuggling surgery after attacks, including in Birmingham – Express & Star

Six people, including two of Birmingham, have been arrested in the UK for their suspect in a major smuggling of smuggling following a joint investigation by the National Crime Agency and Belgian Police.

Men – all Afghan citizens – were arrested on February 12 as part of coordinated efforts by NCA and the Belgian and Italian authorities.

The arrests are made at addresses in four regions of the United Kingdom, with attacks in Birmingham led to the arrests of two men, 28 and 25 years old.

Belgian prosecutors claim that arrested men were included in the smuggling of migrants from Afghanistan through Iran, Turkey and the Balkans, and then in Western Europe through France and Belgium.

The group has been reported to have been working since 2022 and has supposedly used social media to communicate with its migrants.

The migrants would have their requests for asylum refused by the Belgian authorities and would be moved to the United Kingdom using small boats.

Three of the six men appeared in the Westminster Magistrate Court on February 12, where they began extradition proceedings, with the other three having to appear in the same court today.

NCA Deputy Director Craig Turner said: “It is claimed that these men were part of a dangerous and harmful criminal network that moved migrants around the world, through Europe and eventually to Northern Europe and the United Kingdom.

“The action we did shows that our work to break and dismantle the gangs behind this crime will not stop and we will work with our international partners to help bring alleged perpetrators to the courts.

“The threat posed by organized immigration crime is chronic and durable. We currently have 70 live investigations in gangs involved in it.”

As part of the same coordinated surgery, another 10 people were arrested from places in Belgium and Italy.