Irishman (46) suspected of smuggling migrants into UK in speedboat is arrested

The 46-year-old Irish national was arrested in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire while a 51-year-old man from Albania in Hove, Sussex was also picked up by police in the UK.

They were joined by two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, who were arrested in Nottingham on Tuesday.

Twelve migrants and two British men had previously been detained on October 30 when Belgian police prevented a boat leaving the coast of Flanders.

Investigators believe the smugglers had used the boat to travel to Belgium to collect migrants, before attempting to land at Margate in Kent.

The arrests follow an investigation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) who claimed all four people arrested on Tuesday morning are part of a gang organising a series of people smuggling runs to the UK from Europe, including a number of crossing events last year.

NCA branch commander Colin Williams said the arrests follow an extensive investigation into individuals who were involved in a number of migrant crossings from Belgium to the Kent coast in 2022.

He said: “Tackling people smuggling continues to be a priority for the NCA as we target and disrupt organised crime groups at every step of the route.”