The National Crime Agency is warning that organised criminal gangs are actively recruiting HGV drivers to smuggle migrants both into and out of the UK.

It follows a spike in arrests in Kent which has seen a number of drivers detained as they attempted to board trains or ferries to France whilst carrying people illegally in their vehicles.

People smugglers are known to be targeting drivers, offering them thousands of pounds to transport people across the border in otherwise legitimate loads.

In some cases drivers are known to have assisted the criminal gangs in loading people into their trucks, in others they have turned a blind eye by leaving their vehicles unlocked in specific locations.

NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Craig Turner said:

“Those who do get caught risk a life-changing prison sentence.  It simply isn’t worth the risk.

Between July and October this year the NCA has been involved in the arrests of nine lorry drivers in Kent for people smuggling offences.

The most significant was that of Iona Monescu, 49, from Romania, who was detained after 44 Bangladeshi and Pakistani people were found in the back of his trailer at the port of Dover in August. He was sentenced to three years in prison on 25 September.

The NCA continues to carry out a number of investigations looking at criminal groups using trucks to smuggle people.

Deputy Director Craig Turner added:

“The criminal networks offering services to move people out of the UK illegally are often using the same drivers and methods to bring people in, which makes it more important that we take action against them.  For them, this is a business, and like any other haulier they don’t want to ‘run empty’ while returning to the continent.

“Tackling organised immigration crime is a key priority for the NCA. We have around 100 investigations ongoing into groups or individuals involved in the top tier of this form of criminality, and we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle them.”

In 2023 the NCA, alongside Border Force and the charity Crimestoppers, launched a campaign appealing to those working in the haulage industry to stay alert and report suspicious activity.

Those with information can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111, or online via their website.

Further information:                                                                        https://www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/news/nca-warning-as-lorry-drivers-are-targeted-for-recruitment-by-people-smuggling-gangs