DOVER: MEN ARRESTED FOR HUMAN SMUGGLING.

Five individuals suspected of being part of an organised crime gang were detained by police this week, accused of attempting to smuggle migrants out of the UK through Kent. The National Crime Agency (NCA) observed taxis being used to transport 23 people from London to a location near Whitstable. The passengers, all of Bangladeshi origin, were subsequently loaded onto a lorry headed for Dover. Additionally, the NCA seized £30,000 in cash. All five have been charged with facilitating illegal immigration and appeared at Magistrates' Courts in Kent and South East London yesterday, 28 January. NCA Branch Commander Saju Sasikumar stated: "This operation was the culmination of an investigation that has been ongoing for a number of months. Organised crime groups involved in people smuggling risk the safety of those they transport and also threaten the border security of both the UK and France." "Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA, and this investigation is one of approximately 100 ongoing enquiries into networks or individuals at the highest level of this type of crime."