After reportedly earning millions of pounds by helping hundreds of foreign nationals enter the UK illegally, seven members of a suspected people-smuggling group were taken into custody.
The gang is suspected of helping more than 500 Gambian citizens enter the country and find work in illegal businesses by using fake passports and visas belonging to individuals with legal status in the UK.
The alleged plan, which is based between West Yorkshire and Greater London, is said to have grown into a vast and deadly criminal network that generates millions of dollars in revenue.
Despite professing to only make £35,000 year working for a furniture manufacturing company, the primary suspect is thought to have almost £1.3 million in his bank account.
It is believed that another suspect simultaneously received Universal Credit and created an alleged turnover of over £1 million across two bank accounts.
Seven suspects between the ages of 30 and 50 were taken into custody by immigration enforcement police on Tuesday after conducting raids in Batley, West Yorkshire, and Greater London.
Four men and two women, out of the seven people detained, have been charged in relation to the inquiry and are being held on remand.
One of the suspects was seen being led by police from a residence in footage made public by the Home Office.
According to reports, the group targeted Gambian nationals by arranging their travel, housing the migrants upon their arrival, and connecting them with illicit employment.
They allegedly charged about £5,000 per person for the whole service and operated all throughout the country.
It is thought that the three women and five males transmitted fictitious documents to recipients in order to avoid being discovered by the authorities.
Officers found multiple fake identification documents at the different residences they investigated, which are believed to have been utilized in this suspected criminal enterprise.
Gang members are also suspected of utilizing forged passports for other imposters in an attempt to enter the UK illegally.
The primary suspect’s cell phone had a significant number of passport photos, according to an ongoing investigation.
“This operation is a clear display that we will not stand by and let evil criminal gangs abuse our immigration system,” stated Dame Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum.
“The beneficiaries of this purported group were promised a better life in the UK. Rather, they endure appalling levels of exploitation, which is precisely why we are collaborating with law enforcement to guarantee that victims of contemporary slavery receive assistance and that criminal gangs are held accountable.
“Medaille Trust is delighted to have collaborated on this operation and to have played a part in ensuring that victims were identified and supported to begin their recovery as survivors,” stated Ben Ryan, chief operating officer of Medaille Trust, a charity that supports victims of modern slavery and worked on the investigation.
“With an emphasis on both identifying and assisting survivors as well as pursuing abusers, we think that joint initiatives like this one between the Home Office and civil society offer a model for addressing the evils of modern slavery.”
