Photo credit: BBC
Three men, alleged to be part of an organized people smuggling group have been rearrested after investigations.
The BBC reports that the trio had been on remand at a Liverpool prison before prosecutors arrested them on suspicion of transporting Vietnamese migrants to the UK in lorries and small boats, the National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed.
Two other people were also arrested as part of the investigation.
The NCA confirmed the five individuals had been involved in ytrafficking migrants to the UK since 2024, adding they hold the genuine Vietnamese passports of those trafficked as a form of debt.
NCA branch commander Jon Hughes said this makes up near 100 ongoing investigations on people “directly involved” in journeys from Europe to British shores.
“People smugglers have no regard about the welfare of those they transport. They purely see human beings as commodities to make money from”, he said.
