Albanian migrants allowed to stay in UK as victims of modern slavery arrested for people smuggling

Two Albanians allowed to remain in the UK as victims of modern slavery have been arrested on suspicion of leading a people-smuggling ring.

The pair arrived in a small boat last May and were detained before being released with an electronic tag.

They won their claim to be victims of modern slavery and were given discretionary leave to stay, as well as access to benefits and support.

But they were arrested in Belgium when the National Crime Agency and Belgian police thwarted an alleged attempt to smuggle migrants into the UK using a high-speed inflatable boat.

The couple, who lived in Basingstoke in Hampshire, are believed to have taken the boat from the UK to Belgium in the early hours of October 30 to collect 12 Albanians.

The police waited for the boat and arrested the two a short time later off the coast of De Panne in West Flanders.

Agents found 12 Albanians – eight men, three women and a five-year-old child – waiting to board the ship. The alleged smugglers are detained in prison in Bruges.

A third man, 46, was arrested later the same day by the NCA in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, on suspicion of aiding illegal immigration. He is in custody and being interrogated.

The trio are said to be part of a gang behind a string of people smugglers from Europe to the UK.

A Belgian source said: ‘The boat used by this organization was much more powerful than the boats we have intercepted in recent months. In recent months it has always been very small boats, usually of questionable quality, that were still transported in the original box.

‘The working method of this Albanian smuggling organization is completely different: they use a faster and larger boat of better quality, powered by two engines, which can make the crossing to and from the UK much faster.

“This is clearly a very well organized form of human smuggling. Not only does a more expensive boat have to be purchased, it also has to be ensured that refugees – in this case Albanian men, women and a child – are ready in the dunes at the right time to jump into the boat when it reaches the coast. reaches. “Everything has to go fast to go unnoticed. That requires coordination and it underlines that it is a well-organized gang.’

Government data showed that Albanian migrants make up more than half of modern slavery claims filed by small boat arrivals in the first half of last year.

Government data showed that just over 51 percent of Channel migrants who claimed to have been exploited came from the Balkan country. In 2021 it was just over 11 percent.

Last month, the Albanian ambassador to Britain admitted that migrants from his country are “pretending” to be victims of modern slavery.

And in November, NCA officials said Albanian criminals engaged in “blatant manipulation” of modern slavery laws and had even been “coached” on what to say if arrested.

Filing a modern slavery claim halts criminal investigations and deportation attempts by the Department of the Interior while the case is investigated, usually resulting in a delay of a year or more.

The alleged smugglers were given a ‘satisfactory decision’ on their claim, meaning they could stay in the UK for a minimum of 45 days and were given shelter, financial support and access to a counselor.

Rishi Sunak has unveiled a five-point plan to deal with the Channel Crisis, including raising the threshold for modern slavery claims. Proof of exploitation is required rather than simply ‘suspicion’.

The government is under enormous pressure to address the problem, fearing that failure to do so would prove fatal for the Conservatives in the next election.

Projections from Whitehall show that the number of migrants crossing the Channel on small boats could almost double this year.

Border Force sources say as many as 80,000 could make the perilous journey by 2023 – up from 45,000 last year.

A government source said: ‘The Home Secretary and the Prime Minister have drawn up plans to urgently reform modern slavery laws to prevent illegal migrants from defrauding the British people.

“It is an insult to real victims who need protection and that is why this government is determined to crack down on the abuse.”

A spokesman for the Home Office said: “We are reviewing the protections we provide to people who claim to be victims of modern slavery so that those who try to abuse the protections we provide do not benefit from the industry-leading support that we offer to real victims. ‘