Police Arrest 21 Alleged people Smugglers Accused of Bringing Hundreds of Migrants into UK

More than 20 alleged people smugglers accused of bringing hundreds of Iraqi Kurds have been arrested in a nationwide police operation.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the strike was one of the biggest ever launched, with 350 officers descending on targets in Teesside, London, Sussex and Newcastle.

It was sparked by an investigation into a network suspected of smuggling people into the UK from France, Belgium and the Netherlands.

Migrants are believed to have paid the gang between £5,000 and £10,000 each, with their activities tracked by French, Belgian and Dutch police over the past year.

Their agents allegedly recruited drivers in Teesside and in mainland Europe, with several vehicles being stopped.

The migrants found inside were taken to safety and their discovery triggered a linked operation carrying out spot inspections of hand carwashes in the area.

The trade is one of several identified as hubs of modern slavery, a practice frequently linked with people smuggling, and police urging the public to look for signs workers are being exploited.

French prosecutors specialised in fighting organised crime connected with smuggling between Calais and Dover were involved in the investigation, as were multiple police forces, Immigration Enforcement, HMRC and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

Tom Dowdall, deputy director of the NCA, said the suspected criminality linked to the group was "severe" and on a large scale.

"It is one of the biggest operations of its kind undertaken by the NCA," he added.

"We believe we have identified and disrupted a significant network which is suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants into the UK and planned to carry on going.

"People smugglers don't think...