Yahoo News Gang suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants into UK in refrigerated trucks held in National Crime Agency swoop
![Police today swooped on a gang suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants hidden in refrigerated trucks into Britain.The suspected ringleader of the Albanian gang was arrested in a dawn raid at a council flat in Penge, south London, as part of a Europe-wide investigation.The 31-year-old was led from his home in handcuffs and joked “I remember you very well” to an undercover National Crime Agency officer who had kept him under surveillance before today’s arrest. His wife and two young children were left stunned as officers grabbed him from the one-bedroom flat. As he was bundled into a car in handcuffs the man said to the Standard: “Write me up good, did you get good shots [photographs]?” Ten other gang members have already been arrested in connection with the investigation in Belgium, France and Spain. The gang allegedly used corrupt truck drivers to pick up migrants in Belgium and get them to the UK through ports and the Channel Tunnel. They are likely to have been involved with hundreds of migrants attempting to reach the UK, the NCA said. The suspect was held on a European Arrest Warrant at the request of Belgian Federal Police who are overseeing the inquiry. A Belgian officer, who saw today’s raid, said: “There is so much money in smuggling that others will be queuing up to take his place. They will take the risk knowing an arrest can happen. It’s not that victims are beaten or treated badly but the danger of putting women and children in refrigerated trucks is enormous. The air supply can be cut off.”The gang allegedly smuggled in Albanian nationals, who paid extortionate rates to stay in hotels in Belgium before coming into the UK.Martin Matthews, deputy senior investigations officer at the NCA, said: “The people involved are still being put at huge risk. This is higher end than people being trafficked for sex or slavery, this is people paying money to get into the UK. Often those people being smuggled in are here to engage in criminal activity themselves. Organised migration crime has a massive impact on the UK.“By working with our partners in Belgium arresting people actively facilitating the arrival of migrants it will have a massive impact on their operation.”](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/Mb2whkroF6OE4od0ZnsgkQ--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/evening_standard_239/4077488a7ff7b96e7d8b17f18ae98008)
![Police today swooped on a gang suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants hidden in refrigerated trucks into Britain.The suspected ringleader of the Albanian gang was arrested in a dawn raid at a council flat in Penge, south London, as part of a Europe-wide investigation.The 31-year-old was led from his home in handcuffs and joked “I remember you very well” to an undercover National Crime Agency officer who had kept him under surveillance before today’s arrest. His wife and two young children were left stunned as officers grabbed him from the one-bedroom flat. As he was bundled into a car in handcuffs the man said to the Standard: “Write me up good, did you get good shots [photographs]?” Ten other gang members have already been arrested in connection with the investigation in Belgium, France and Spain. The gang allegedly used corrupt truck drivers to pick up migrants in Belgium and get them to the UK through ports and the Channel Tunnel. They are likely to have been involved with hundreds of migrants attempting to reach the UK, the NCA said. The suspect was held on a European Arrest Warrant at the request of Belgian Federal Police who are overseeing the inquiry. A Belgian officer, who saw today’s raid, said: “There is so much money in smuggling that others will be queuing up to take his place. They will take the risk knowing an arrest can happen. It’s not that victims are beaten or treated badly but the danger of putting women and children in refrigerated trucks is enormous. The air supply can be cut off.”The gang allegedly smuggled in Albanian nationals, who paid extortionate rates to stay in hotels in Belgium before coming into the UK.Martin Matthews, deputy senior investigations officer at the NCA, said: “The people involved are still being put at huge risk. This is higher end than people being trafficked for sex or slavery, this is people paying money to get into the UK. Often those people being smuggled in are here to engage in criminal activity themselves. Organised migration crime has a massive impact on the UK.“By working with our partners in Belgium arresting people actively facilitating the arrival of migrants it will have a massive impact on their operation.”](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/dfiiWsmY09yXaEX9DwD1aA--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY0MA--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/evening_standard_239/46872fe97c138b471446e26837856155)
Police today swooped on a gang suspected of smuggling hundreds of migrants hidden in refrigerated trucks into Britain.
The suspected ringleader of the Albanian gang was arrested in a dawn raid at a council flat in Penge, south London, as part of a Europe-wide investigation.
The 31-year-old was led from his home in handcuffs and joked “I remember you very well” to an undercover National Crime Agency officer who had kept him under surveillance before today’s arrest. His wife and two young children were left stunned as officers grabbed him from the one-bedroom flat.
As he was bundled into a car in handcuffs the man said to the Standard: “Write me up good, did you get good shots [photographs]?”
Ten other gang members have already been arrested in connection with the investigation in Belgium, France and Spain. The gang allegedly used corrupt truck drivers to pick up migrants in Belgium and get them to the UK through ports and the Channel Tunnel.
They are likely to have been involved with hundreds of migrants attempting to reach the UK, the NCA said. The suspect was held on a European Arrest Warrant at the request of Belgian Federal Police who are overseeing the inquiry.
A Belgian officer, who saw today’s raid, said: “There is so much money in smuggling that others will be queuing up to take his place. They will take the risk knowing an arrest can happen. It’s not that victims are beaten or treated badly but the danger of putting women and children in refrigerated trucks is enormous. The air supply can be cut off.”
The gang allegedly smuggled in Albanian nationals, who paid extortionate rates to stay in hotels in Belgium before coming into the UK.
Martin Matthews, deputy senior investigations officer at the NCA, said: “The people involved are still being put at huge risk. This is higher end than people being trafficked for sex or slavery, this is people paying money to get into the UK. Often those people being smuggled in are here to engage in criminal activity themselves. Organised migration crime has a massive impact on the UK.
“By working with our partners in Belgium arresting people actively facilitating the arrival of migrants it will have a massive impact on their operation.”
