Police arrest 72 people found crammed on 30 metre fishing boat off East Anglia coast

The fishing boat in Harwich harbour which was intercepted off the coast of Great Yarmouth on Tuesday evening
PA
April Roach @aprilroach2818 November 2020
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Seventy-two people have been arrested after they were found crammed onto a 30m fishing boat off the coast of East Anglia.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said the vessel had been intercepted close to Great Yarmouth on Tuesday evening as part of an anti-people smuggling operation. It was then escorted into Harwich harbour in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Once the boat reached port, three crew members - a Latvian and two Ukranian nationals - were detained on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration.

Sixty-nine suspected illegal migrants of Albanian nationality were arrested on suspicion of offences under the Immigration Act.

A search of the boat, which had sailed from the Ostend area of Belgium, is ongoing.

The raid was a joint operation between the NCA, Immigration Enforcement and Border Force – including the Border Force cutters Searcher and Vigilant – with support from Essex Police.

The three crew members will be interviewed by NCA investigators, while the remaining 69 people are being dealt with by immigration officers, the NCA said.

NCA deputy director of investigations Craig Naylor said: “This was clearly a significant incident and a significant attempt to breach the UK’s border controls.”

He added: “Working with our partners we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling networks, and prevent them from exploiting migrants for profit.

“Our aim is to target those who cause harm, safeguard those who are most vulnerable while securing the United Kingdom’s borders.”

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