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How traffickers are smuggling illegal immigrants into Britain
Multi-million pound operation involves hundreds of criminals, says National Crime Agency
People smugglers are targeting quieter entry points into the UK after a crackdown at busier ports such as Dover and Folkestone, the National Crime Agency (NCA) warned.
Tom Dowdall, the deputy director of the organisation's Border Policing Command, said criminals were using northern ports in the hopes security would not be as tight.
"We've seen on the east coast evidence from Tilbury and Purfleet, up as far as Hull and Immingham, and on the south coast from Newhaven to Portsmouth and in some instances beyond that as well," he said.
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In an attempt to combat the rise in people smuggling, the NCA launched its Project Invigor taskforce last June. Staffed by more than 90 personnel, it is said to be the largest of its kind in Europe.
Smugglers operate in plain sight, offering their services on more than 200 websites, including Facebook and Twitter. "We are working to build a capacity to disrupt social media recruiting in source and transit countries," said Dowdall.
The network includes hundreds of criminals in Britain and is a multi-million pound business. The cost of entry varies from as little as £100 for a "single attempt through unsophisticated means" to more than £6,000 for a "guaranteed" journey in a "high-quality" concealment, the BBC reports.
Gangs have used lorries, shipping containers and even inflatable boats to smuggle people into the country. The NCA also revealed that some migrants from Iraq had paid up to £13,500 to fly directly into UK airports with expertly forged documents, according to the Daily Telegraph.
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"That's someone who has been able to access a good quality travel document in the first instance to be able to cross borders and to be able to fool airlines as well," said Dowdall.
Ian Cruxton, the director of the taskforce, said the UK remains a "relatively attractive proposition for migrants, sometimes because of existing family connections and sometimes because it is seen as an ethnically diverse and tolerant society".
