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Dozens arrested in NI people-smuggling operation

Home Office Two men in dark uniforms from Home Office Enforcement question a woman at an airport. Although both men's faces are blurred, one is tall with dark hair and a beard while the other is balding. The woman, who has long black hair, has her back turned to the camera. Home Office
The operation targeted ports and airports

Thirty-three people have been arrested as part of an operation in what the Home Office has described as a "Northern Ireland people-smuggler crackdown".

Ports and airports in Northern Ireland, north-west England and Wales were targeted by Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams during a three-day operation.

Twenty-five of the arrests were made in Northern Ireland, four across Manchester and Birmingham and four in the Republic of Ireland.

The operation focused on abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA), the agreement between the UK and Ireland allowing for free movement between the two areas.

As well as the Home Office teams, the PSNI, other UK police forces, Garda (Irish police), National Crime Agency, Border Force and international partners were all involved in the operation.

A part of it, £17,000 in suspected criminal assets were seized and a heavy goods vehicle detained at Holyhead Port in Wales over an unpaid Clandestine Entrants Civil Penalty worth £144,000.

The Home Office said that since July 2024, more than 60 arrests have been made and over £405,000 of criminal cash seized in the crackdown on abuse of the CTA.

Thirty-three of those arrests were in Northern Ireland.

Home Office The picture shows from behind police officers wearing dark green uniforms, baseball caps and flak jackets. In from of them are three members of a Home Office enforcement team, also wearing dark uniforms. The picture is taken inside a bus stationHome Office
Enforcement teams and police at a Belfast bus station during the operation

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: "This government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash.

"We are breaking down the criminal networks at their root, with enforcement visits and arrests up by 38%."

Home Office Immigration Enforcement deputy director Ben Thomas said: "Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities.

"The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the Common Travel Area and undermine the UK's border security."