Latest news with #illegalImmigration
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Suspected people-smuggling gang members arrested
Members of a suspected people-smuggling gang who allegedly made millions of pounds helping hundreds of foreign nationals enter the UK illegally have been Home Office said the group was thought to have helped more than 500 people from Gambia enter the country using forged passports and visas of people who had legitimate status in the enforcement officers carried out raids in West Yorkshire and Greater London on Tuesday, arresting seven suspects between the ages of 30 and Angela Eagle, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said the government would not "stand by and let evil criminal gangs abuse our immigration system". The Home Office said the main suspect was believed to have a turnover of more than £1.3m in his bank account, despite claiming to only earn £35,000 a year working for a furniture manufacturing suspect is thought to have made a turnover of more than £1m across two bank accounts, while also receiving Universal Credit at the same seized several counterfeit identity documents from the properties they visited, while a large number of images of passports were also found on the main suspect's mobile gang is said to have charged Gambian nationals around £5,000 per person for services, including booking their flights, providing housing for the migrants on arrival and setting them up with illegal members of the gang are also believed to have sent fake documents to beneficiaries to help them evade being detected by police. Dame Angela said: "This suspected gang promised their beneficiaries a better life here in the UK."Instead, they face heinous levels of exploitation, which is exactly why we are working with law enforcement to ensure survivors of modern slavery are supported and the criminal gangs face justice."Those arrested were from various parts of Leeds, Batley and Heckmondwike, in West Yorkshire, as well as the Barking and Stratford areas of Home Office said six of the suspects - four men and two women - had subsequently been charged and remanded into custody. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Alleged people smuggling gang member ‘made millions while on Universal Credit'
Seven members of a suspected people smuggling gang have been arrested after allegedly making millions of pounds from facilitating the illegal entry of hundreds of foreign nationals into the UK. The group is believed to have used forged passports and visas of people with legitimate status in the UK to aid the arrival and subsequent employment in black market businesses of more than 500 Gambian citizens. Based between West Yorkshire and Greater London, the alleged scheme is said to have developed into a wide-scale, dangerous criminal network earning millions. The main suspect is believed to have a turnover of more than £1.3 million in his bank account, despite claiming to only earn £35,000 a year working for a furniture manufacturing company. Another suspect is thought to have made an alleged turnover of more than £1 million across two bank accounts, whilst simultaneously receiving Universal Credit. Immigration enforcement officers carried out raids in Greater London and Batley, West Yorkshire and arrested seven suspects between the ages of 30 and 50 years old on Tuesday. Of the seven arrested, four men and two women have been charged in connection with the investigation and have been remanded in custody. Footage released by the Home Office showed one of the suspects being led away from a property by police. The gang is said to have targeted Gambian nationals, including booking their flights, providing housing for the migrants on arrival, and setting them up with illegal work. Operating across the country, they allegedly charged around £5,000 per person for the full service. The five men and three women are believed to have sent fake documents to beneficiaries to evade detection from police. At the various addresses visited, officers seized several counterfeit identity documents, which are thought to have been used in this alleged criminal scheme. Members of the gang are also suspected of reusing fraudulent documents for different imposters hoping to make it to the UK illegally. An ongoing investigation revealed a substantial quantity of images of passports found on the main suspect's mobile phone. Minister for Border Security and Asylum Dame Angela Eagle said: 'This operation is a clear display that we will not stand by and let evil criminal gangs abuse our immigration system. 'This suspected gang promised their beneficiaries a better life here in the UK. Instead, they face heinous levels of exploitation, which is exactly why we are working with law enforcement to ensure survivors of modern slavery are supported and the criminal gangs face justice.' Ben Ryan, chief operating officer at Medaille Trust – a charity that supports the victims of modern slavery and worked on the investigation – said: '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. 'We believe that collaborative efforts like this between the Home Office and civil society provide a model for confronting the evils of modern slavery; with a focus on both pursuing abusers and recognising and supporting survivors.'
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Man arrested for deadly immigrant smuggling operation that killed Romanian family of four and his own brother
A dual U.S.-Canadian citizen was arrested last month for his alleged role in an attempt to smuggle a Romanian family of four into the United States, which left them dead, including two young children. Timothy Oakes, 34, from the Akwesasne Mohawk Indian Reservation (AMIR) in Canada, was arrested on June 15 while trying to enter the U.S. via the Massena, New York, port of entry, the Justice Department said. He is charged with conspiring with others to engage in alien smuggling, four counts of alien smuggling for profit, and four counts of alien smuggling resulting in death. He appeared in a federal court on Tuesday and was ordered held. His U.S.-based co-conspirators — Dakota Montour, 31, and Kawisiiostha Celecia Sharrow, 43, both of Akwesasne-Mohawk, New York, and Janet Terrance, 45, of Hogansburg, New York — have all entered guilty pleas. "Oakes and his co-conspirators profited from a human smuggling operation with a singular, cold-hearted aim: making money by bringing illegal aliens into the United States, regardless of the danger to human life involved," said Matthew Galeotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. "Their greed resulted in the deaths of a mother, a father, and two small children, as well as one of the defendants' own brothers." Oakes smuggled illegal immigrants from Canada into northern New York using boats to get across the St. Lawrence River, federal prosecutors said. He earned $1,000 per person, authorities said. In March 2023, Oakes housed a Romanian family of four, together with other aliens, for about 24 hours before allegedly taking them on his boat in an attempt to illegally bring them into the U.S. Oakes, his brother Casey, and the Romanian family were on the vessel when it capsized, killing the family, including two children under the age of 3, and his brother. "Two toddler-aged children and their parents were the tragic victims of an alien smuggling attempt gone horribly wrong," said Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia of the U.S. Border Patrol's Swanton Sector. "Their deaths were a direct result of callous smugglers who exploited the vulnerable." Terrance, Montour, and Sharrow admitted in their plea agreements that they were employed to illegally transport the Romanian family — a mother, father, 1-year-old boy, and 2-year-old girl — from Canada into New York. Montour admitted that he was aware of the dangerous weather conditions on the day of the smuggling attempt — high winds, freezing temperatures, and limited visibility, the Justice Department said.
The Sun
a day ago
- Politics
- The Sun
Inept French cops given millions of YOUR cash for planes, 4x4s & drones STILL fail to stop migrant boats
FRENCH cops paraded around in a buggy paid for by the UK — as dinghy migrants set sail. On yet another shambolic day, the number of arrivals here hit a record 20,000 since the start of 2025. 7 Critics said the £500million of taxpayer cash given to France had turned its beaches into 'the world's most expensive sieve'. Patrols with jeeps, quad bikes and drones were pictured on the sand yesterday as smugglers prepared to launch more dinghies. On Monday alone, 879 reached British shores, the third biggest daily total in 2025. We saw patrols at Gravelines near Dunkirk, and Équihen, west of Calais. The crisis is now 48 per cent worse than this time last year and 75 per cent higher than in 2023, according to Home Office figures. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said: 'Record numbers of young undocumented males have crossed this year thanks to French beaches being the world's most expensive sieve — this is a disaster for the country. 'They are costing us money, making us less safe, and they bring a terrorist threat. 'This will only get worse under the weakest Prime Minister I have ever seen.' PM Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are due to meet in London next week for a State visit and a summit focused on tackling the crossings. The UK first signed a deal with France under the last Tory government, with nearly £500million committed to extra patrols, surveillance drones, vehicles and riot vans. Illegal Channel migrant delivery riders ARRESTED as cops swoop on major asylum hotel after Sun expose Sir Keir has extended the commitment. The leaders are also preparing to unveil a new 'one in, one out' migrant returns deal — sending some Channel arrivals to France in exchange for Britain accepting migrants with family reunion rights. But the Tories have branded the plan a 'fantasy' and demanded their Rwanda scheme be reinstated. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: 'One year into Labour 's government and the boats haven't stopped, they've multiplied. 'It's become a free-for-all. 'We need a removals deterrent so every single illegal immigrant who arrives is removed outside Europe. 'The crossings will then rapidly stop.' Sir Keir has faced pressure to deliver on his promise to ' smash the gangs ' fuelling the crisis. 7 7 But Downing Street insisted it will take time to solve it, warning 'it's not simple' to dismantle international smuggling networks. The PM's spokesman said the figures were 'clearly unacceptable', adding: 'But let's be clear, gangs have been allowed to embed industrial-scale smuggling enterprises across Europe, whilst our own asylum system collapsed through failed policies like Rwanda. 'But we are taking action.' The spokesman pointed to arrests of gang leaders, thousands of boat seizures, and closer ties with France. 7 7
Arabian Business
a day ago
- Arabian Business
Kuwait busts visa fraud gang linked to European immigration scam
Kuwait's Ministry of Interior (MoI) has arrested a criminal ring accused of forging documents to manipulate visa applications for entry into several European countries. The MoI confirmed that the arrests were made by the General Department of Residency Investigations, operating under the Citizenship and Residency Affairs Sector, as part of a broader crackdown on organised crime. The investigation, conducted in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, uncovered serious violations, including: Falsified professions Forged work permits Tampered bank statements Fabricated documents aimed at meeting visa requirements imposed by European embassies Kuwait arrests visa scam gang Authorities identified an Egyptian national, believed to be operating the scam from abroad via social media, as one of the main figures behind the illegal immigration scheme. Several other suspects were arrested within Kuwait, and their devices and forged documents have been seized. As part of ongoing international security cooperation, Kuwaiti authorities have informed their counterparts in Egypt, where further investigations are underway. The Ministry of Interior reiterated its commitment to upholding national security and enforcing the law, warning that it will not tolerate such criminal activities. It also urged the public to respect the country's legal and immigration frameworks.
