Nine NCA arrests during major international operation targeting people smuggling

Nine NCA arrests during major international operation targeting people smuggling

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The National Crime Agency (NCA) has arrested nine people in the UK as it collaborated with international partners on INTERPOL's largest-ever operation targeting people smuggling and human trafficking.

Officers from the NCA's Joint International Crime Centre (JICC) National Extradition Unit made the arrests across Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire and Kent.

An additional suspect was detained in Northern Ireland by the PSNI.

INTERPOL's National Central Bureau in Manchester, housed and managed by the NCA, helped identify three suspects residing in the UK.

They were arrested by NCA officers for people smuggling offences after 27 people, including 21 children, were intercepted in Tunisia attempting to travel to the UK.

A 32-year-old Syrian man, arrested in Nottingham and wanted by Romania, is accused of transporting migrants from Bulgaria to Romania, for onward travel to the Netherlands.

The other seven are wanted for people smuggling, human trafficking or modern slavery offences in France, Germany, Belgium and Romania.

Extradition proceedings for all nine suspects are ongoing.

An NCA international liaison officer was also deployed to the INTERPOL Operational Co-Ordination Unit in Skopje, North Macedonia, to facilitate the exchange of intelligence across the globe.

The action took place during a week-long intensification of INTERPOL's 'Operation Liberterra II' from 29 September to 4 October 2024.

At its 92^nd General Assembly, hosted by the UK in Glasgow, INTERPOL today (6 November) announced preliminary results of its global operation.

Alongside the UK, a total of 116 countries and territories took part in the operation and 2,517 arrests were made worldwide.

NCA Deputy Director of International Rick Jones, said: "This INTERPOL operation is a prime example of our commitment to working closely and effectively with international partners to tackle people smuggling and human trafficking.

"We utilised a range of our specialist capabilities to gather and disseminate intelligence to law enforcement agencies across the world, and to enable our officers to identify, locate and detain offenders wanted overseas.

"As a result, nine individuals wanted in connection to serious offences have been removed from our communities and extradition proceedings are ongoing to ensure they face justice."

6 November 2024