NEW ARRESTS FOR HUMAN TRAFFICKING

The National Crime Agency (NCA) has stated that there has been a 'spike in arrests in Kent' of drivers boarding trains or ferries bound for France while illegally transporting people. Gangs recruit lorry drivers by offering them large sums of money. According to the NCA, between July and October, more than nine lorry drivers were arrested for the offence of human transport. Investigators arrested Romanian national Ioan Monescu, who was stopped with 44 Bangladeshi and Pakistani nationals in the back of his trailer at the Port of Dover in August. Monescu, 49, admitted to assisting unlawful immigration and was sentenced to three years in prison by a judge at Canterbury Crown Court in September. Craig Turner said: 'We know that these criminal gangs are actively trying to recruit drivers to work for them, promising them a seemingly low-risk way to earn extra money. In reality, it is anything but. We have several operations investigating this type of criminality and recent arrests have shown that the chances of being caught are high.' Human trafficking boss Md Moktar Hossain, from Woodford Green, London, was also sentenced to more than 10 years in prison following an NCA investigation. Mr Turner added: 'Criminal networks offering services to get people out of the UK illegally often use the same drivers and methods to bring people in, making it even more important that we disrupt them. For them, it is a business, and like any hauliers, they don't want to 'run empty' on the return journey to the continent. Tackling organised immigration crime is a fundamental priority for the NCA. We have around 100 ongoing investigations into groups or individuals involved in the highest levels of this form of crime and we are determined to do everything possible to trace, disrupt, and dismantle them.' The NCA asks all drivers to promptly condemn and report all illegal activities.