The migrant smuggling activities via small boats have continuously increased since 2019, before becoming in 2021 the most commonly used modus operandi for smuggling migrants from the EU to UK, surpassing smuggling in lorries. 

In order to target migrant smuggling activities across the English Channel, Europol set up an Operational Task Force (OTF Wave) involving Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK.

During an over a yearlong joint investigation, initiated at the end of 2022, the national authorities’ members of OTF Wave identified the structure and modi operandi of a large criminal network, made up of Iraqi and Syrian nationals of Kurdish origin. The suspects, all based in Germany, organised the purchase, storage and transportation of inflatable boats for their subsequent use to smuggle migrants from the beaches near the French city of Calais towards the UK. The investigative activities identified that the criminal network was able to facilitate up to 8 departures per night depending on the weather conditions. The suspects collected between EUR 1 000 and EUR 3 000 per migrant for a place on the dangerous vessel.

Today, 21 February 2024, a joint action day, coordinated by Eurojust and involving judicial and law enforcement authorities from Belgium, France and Germany, led to 19 arrests (including the leader and the main organisers of the network) and 26 locations raided.  

For further details, please read the press release from Eurojust.