IN THE NEWS
TWO LONDON MEN CHARGED AND SIX PH DRIVERS DETAINED IN MAJOR PEOPLE SMUGGLING INVESTIGATION
Two men have been charged with con- spiring to facilitate illegal immigration, following a major National Crime Agen- cy investigation into people smuggling. The NCA reports that Mohammed Mok- ter Hossain, 52, and Noor Ullah, 28, both from London, were arrested dur- ing a series of NCA raids in east London on the morning of 19 March. Five other men, all PHV drivers, detained at the same time have been released under investigation, as has a sixth PHV driver arrested separately the previous evening. Hossain and Ullah were due to appear before Barkingside Magistrates on Fri- day 21 May. They are two leading figures in people smuggling networks, facilitating the illegal immigration of hundreds of migrants both into and out of the UK.
The five licenced PHV drivers are accused of being involved in transport- ing migrants to or from lorry pick-up and drop-off points. The operation, which involved more than 130 officers, follows a lengthy investigation by the NCA into the net- work, codenamed Operation Symbolry. This identified an organised crime group with connections in both Europe and Asia, using a network of predominately Romanian lorries to move migrants across the Channel from France into Kent, or the other way round. NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Chris Farrimond said: “People smug- glers are ruthless, treating migrants as a commodity and they do not care about the safety of those they trans- port. We have seen this, tragically, in recent and historic mass fatalities. This
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is why tackling the gangs involved is a priority for us.” NCA Branch Operations Manager Chris Hill said: “Operation Symbolry is a sig- nificant investigation into a wide- ranging criminal network moving migrants illegally in both directions between the UK and France. “Organised crime groups often rely upon enablers such as complicit lorry drivers and PHV drivers to carry out their work, offering them money to help. “What I would say to those drivers is that if they are approached, they should tell us, by calling police on 101 or contacting Crimestoppers. “The penalties for drivers caught smug- gling migrants are severe, and I would ask those tempted by the idea to con- sider the potential impact on their lives and livelihoods.”
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