'Major supplier' of Channel small boats arrested in Amsterdam

Turkish citizen suspected of shipping dinghies and engines from Turkey, Germany and France

Equipment was removed from storage locations in Germany that were searched by German police and the UK's National Crime Agency in July 2022. PA

A man accused of being a “major supplier” of small boats for English Channel migrant crossings has been arrested in Amsterdam.

The 44-year-old Turkish citizen is suspected of shipping dinghies and engines from Turkey and storing them in Germany, before moving them to northern France. He was detained at Schipol Airport on Wednesday after an investigation by Dutch, Belgian and British authorities. He is facing extradition to Belgium over charges of human smuggling.

“We suspect that this individual is a major supplier of boats and engines to the smugglers operating in Belgium and northern France,” said National Crime Agency director general in operations, Rob Jones. “The types of vessels and engines we see used in making these crossings are highly dangerous and completely unfit for open water. At least 50 people are known to have died this year as a result. There is no legitimate use for them.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the arrest as “good news”. “Criminal gangs have been getting away with this for far too long,” he said.

The arrest was “exactly what we want to see and it shows that our approach of working with international partners to smash the people smuggling gangs is bearing fruit”, he said.

More than 32,000 people have arrived in Britain having made the illegal journey across the English Channel by boat so far this year, according to Home Office figures. That marked an increase on last year's 26,699 cases, but a decrease on 2022’s figures of 39,929. 2022 marked a record year for crossings, however, this year has been the deadliest, with 50 deaths recorded.

Small boat and equipment storage locations were searched by German police and the National Crime Agency in July 2022. PA

The Labour government cancelled the previous Conservative government’s Rwanda plan, under which tens of thousands of asylum seekers who arrived in Britain without permission would be deported to the East African nation.

After winning the election, Labour pledged to “smash the gangs” to tackle the growth in illegal crossings.

Explaining why Thursday’s arrest was important, Mr Starmer said: “If the boats and the engines aren’t available, it obviously makes it much more difficult for these crossings to be made and we’re dealing with gangs and groups that are making a huge amount of money from this vile trade. And so it is really important that we take these vital steps against them in relation to disrupting their pattern and the way that they do their business.

Migrants crowd an inflatable dinghy in an attempt to cross the English Channel, after leaving Ecault beach in Saint-Etienne-au-Mont, northern France. AFP

“So that’s why it’s very significant that this arrest has taken place today. This is a significant piece of the jigsaw. I’m not pretending it’s the silver bullet. There are other steps that are going to be necessary. but this is a very important step.”

This week, a Home Office minister said that there have been 52 people-smuggling convictions and 24 flights of migrants sent home since the general election in July. Lord Hanson of Flint told the House of Lords that 23 of those convicted of smuggling were running small boats across the English Channel.

He added: “Since July 5 this year, we’ve had 24 flights sending people back who have no right to be in the United Kingdom, who mostly are economic migrants. And we’ve sent 46 individuals, for example, to Vietnam only on July 24 of this year. That will, I hope, in the long term send a signal about people who have a right to asylum and people who have no right to come to the United Kingdom.”

The UK's National Crime Agency said it is leading about 70 investigations into organised immigration crime or human trafficking.

Items found at the storage location in Germany searched by German police and the UK's National Crime Agency in July 2022. PA

The arrest of the suspected boat supplier was carried out through a Europol Operational Task Force and partners. An office for the public prosecutor's office of West Flanders said international co-operation is “crucial in the fight against human smuggling”.

“We will relentlessly pursue the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings that undermine our border security and put lives at risk,” said Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. “This major investigation shows how important it is for our crime-fighting agencies to be working hand in glove with our international partners to get results.”

Last month, it was claimed that more than 62,000 migrants could be granted asylum in the UK to clear the backlog of cases. The number of asylum applications waiting to be determined is expected to have reached 118,063 in January, the Refugee Council says. As many as 62,801 of them could be recognised as refugees in the UK, according to the charity.