Four Vietnamese nationals accused of advertising their human trafficking services on Facebook have been arrested in England.
Officers arrested a 23-year-old woman in Croydon, south London, a 64-year-old man in Deptford, south London, and a 34-year-old man in Leicester on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration on Monday. .
A 25-year-old man was arrested at the same property in Croydon after allegedly being involved in people trafficking and drug offences.
In Paris, 12 people have also been arrested as part of the investigation into the group accused of sharing publications aimed at the Vietnamese community, advertising illegal crossings and charging thousands of pounds to those who wanted to make the trip.
The elderly man arrested in London is believed to have acted as a driver, picking up migrants arriving in small boats and, on at least one occasion, taking them back to the Croydon address, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.
He will now face extradition proceedings while the others were charged and appeared at Croydon Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, they added.
According to the government, an increasing number of migrants arriving illegally in the UK via the English Channel come from Vietnam.
An announcement from the Ministry of the Interior to deter illegal crossings from Vietnam. Photo: UK government
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “We are using every possible lever at our disposal to crack down on people smugglers and break their supply chains.
“Last week we signed a new agreement with Vietnam, strengthening our cooperation on illegal migration.
“Together with law enforcement agencies such as the NCA, our French partners and other countries such as Vietnam, we are committed to dismantling criminal gangs seeking to profit by abusing our borders.”
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Chris Farrimond, NCA threat leadership director, said: “Vietnamese nationals now make up a large number of those we see arriving in small boats.”
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He added: “We allege that this group was advertising their crossing services on social media to encourage others from their country to make the same treacherous journey.
“The NCA continues our work with partners and has removed from platforms thousands of social media pages and posts advertising organized immigration crime services.”
Farrimond added: “Tackling organized immigration crime is a priority for the National Crime Agency and our investigation continues to target people smugglers both in the UK and abroad every step of the way.”