Five men and one woman were arrested following a series of raids by the National Crime Agency (NCA) in London’s Docklands and Catford areas on Tuesday morning. Officers also arrived in Belgium, Germany, France and the Netherlands in a joint operation with Europol and Eurojust. A 26-year-old man in Rushey Green in Catford, south-east London, and a 22-year-old man in the Isle of Dogs were both held on suspicion of conspiracy to facilitate illegal immigration. A 20-year-old woman and an 18-year-old man have been arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs with intent to supply after what is believed to be cocaine was discovered. Two other men were arrested for immigration offenses and will be questioned by immigration authorities, the NCA said. The suspects in the UK remain in custody and are being questioned by NCA investigators. The NCA said: “Officers today joined what is believed to be the largest international operation targeting criminal networks suspected of using small boats to smuggle thousands of people into the UK.” On Monday, a young girl was taken to safety by a member of the armed forces after arriving on the Kent coast. A woman was also seen being helped ashore and pushed in a wheelchair in Dover. So far, around 12,700 people have made the perilous Channel crossing this year, crossing busy shipping lanes from France in small boats. The Home Office announced plans to send some people crossing illegally to Rwanda for processing in April, but the first deportation flight was canceled last month after a series of legal challenges. Critics say the policy is “immoral” but ministers say it is necessary to break the business model of people smugglers. Read more: Small boat pilots cross channel with migrants to face life in prison Asylum seeker who fled war says he would rather die than be sent to Rwanda More than 3,100 people crossed the English Channel to the UK in June, the highest monthly total this year, according to government figures. The NCA has vowed to hunt down the smugglers after 15 arrests were made over the deaths of 27 people who died crossing the Channel last year.
