Turkish man alleged to have run ‘meet and greet' service for small boat migrants is arrested
Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
A TURKISH man alleged to have run a 'meet and greet' service for boat migrants has been arrested in an early morning raid.
The Sun joined Home Office immigration enforcement as they tracked the suspected people smuggler down to a family house in Tottenham, North London.
Sign up for Scottish Sun
newsletter
Sign up
2
A Turkish man alleged to have run a 'meet and greet' service for boat migrants has been arrested
Credit: Ray Collins
2
Border Force officers found his contact details on phones seized from small boat migrants brought in to Dover
Credit: Getty
We watched as officers stormed the home at 6.25am and nicked the 34-year-old, who was wearing a Hugo Boss t-shirt and North Face tracksuit.
He was brought out handcuffed and led to a police van by two cops.
Others searched his black Mercedes parked over the road in the quiet street.
The Home Office acted after Border Force officers found his contact details on phones seized from small boat migrants brought in to Dover.
read more on migrants
HELPING HAND French officials hand migrants life-jackets as more allowed to set sail for UK
Law enforcement suspect he is part of a 'meet and greet' operation for arrivals and could have been housing some of those trying to enter the UK illegally.
So far this year, more than 23,000 have crossed the Channel on overcrowded dinghies — a record for this point of the year.
Home Office Criminal and Financial Investigations regional lead for London and South, Chris Foster, told The Sun outside the targeted address: 'We think this man is involved in organising some of the small boat crossings from France over to England.
'These people are just taking advantage of the vulnerable.
"They're being sold a dream and actually that's not the reality.
'We're going to bear down on those involved in this vile trade.
Two asylum seekers caught making OnlyFans sex film in hotel paid for by YOU in shocking abuse of system
'It's not just about people coming here illegally, it also feeds things like illegal working.
"People involved in this often have got links to other organised crime, drug dealing, things like that."
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme - Sun Club.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Airline denies removing 40 children from flight because they were Jewish
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Up Next Previous Page Next Page An airline has denied it removed a group of 44 French Jewish children because of their identity. Spanish budget carrier Vueling insisted cabin crew were forced to eject a group of 52 passengers due to their 'highly disruptive behaviour' onboard. The children from the Club Kineret camp were returning to Paris after travelling to Valencia. The youth group has said it is has filed a formal complaint the airline, which is part of the group that owns British Airways, after it said cabin crew showed an 'antisemitic' attitude towards them. Video footage which circulated after the incident on Wednesday appeared to show one adult member of the party being detained by Guardia Civil officers on the jetbridge outside the aircraft. An adult member of Club Kinaret, believed to be the director, was videoed being detained by Guardia Civil officers on jetbridge outside the aircraft (Picture: X) Vueling said in a statement that cabin crew had decided to remove the group from the flight due to 'behaviour that compromised the integrity of the flight' (Picture: X) In a statement through its legal representatives, Club Kinaret said: 'The Club Kineret association wishes to formally and categorically deny allegations from Vueling Airlines suggesting that incidents were caused by the minors it was supervising on Vueling Flight VY8186. 'The facts are clear, serious, established and corroborated by multiple testimonies. They describe a scene of rare, unjustified and clearly biased brutality. 44 infants were disembarked from the aircraft, without a valid explanation, on orders of the captain onboard.' 'These children, supervised by 7 adults, had just completed a cultural stay. They were seated in their seats, respectful of the rules and the staff. No incident, no threat, no inappropriate behaviour was reported.' But Vueling said a decision was made to remove the group following behaviour which 'compromised the integrity of the flight', including tampering with emergency equipment and disrupting the safety demonstration. Vueling has denied it removed a group of 50 French Jewish children from a flight because of their religion (Picture: Shutterstock) It further accused some members of the youth group of taking a 'confrontational attitude' and said that 'aggressive' behaviour continued into the terminal after the passengers disembarked from the flight. The airline said in a statement: 'The actions of the on-board staff were solely in response to behaviour that compromised the integrity of the flight, as well as the safety of passengers and the operation as a whole.' 'We categorically deny any suggestion that our crew's decision related to the religion of the passengers involved. 'This decision was taken solely to ensure the safety of all passengers. At Vueling, we categorically reject any form of discrimination without exception.' A spokesperson for the Guardia Civil said the group was taken off the plane for repeatedly ignoring cabin crew instructions. It added that half the group boarded another flight that evening with another airline, while the rest stayed overnight at a hotel. The Federation of Spanish Jewish Communities said it was 'concerned' about the incident and demanded an explanation from Vueling as to how serious the childrens' behaviour was to be asked to leave the aircraft. It said: 'Airlines have responsibility to guarantee respect and dignity for all passengers, without exception. 'The FCJE believes that these types of incidents, which cause great worry and concern and affect minors, require clear and responsible institutional responses.' Further questions were raised after it transpired that the flight's captain, Ivan Chirivellas, had trained two terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks in 2001. Spain's Transport Minister Oscar Puente also came under fire for hisr response to the incident, in which he erroneously referred to the French youths as 'Israeli kids'. He wrote on X: 'Are the patriots with Vueling? Those with law and order with aviation safety? Or will they all stick together with the Israeli kids?' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. Arrow MORE: Passengers pin down man who tries to open plane door mid-flight Arrow MORE: Lionesses star Alex Greenwood in relationship with childhood sweetheart who is also ex-Premier League ace Arrow MORE: I tried Heathrow's £3,177 VIP terminal — how the other half fly
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Migrant dies after suffering cardiac arrest on small boat crossing the Channel to UK
A man has died after suffering a cardiac arrest on board a migrant boat attempting to reach the UK. A boat heading for English shores turned back towards Equihen beach in northern France on Saturday morning following the medical emergency. When the boat arrived at the beach, a man was found on board in cardiac arrest, French authorities confirmed. Despite emergency services intervening at the scene, the man died soon after, the Pas-de-Calais department's sub-prefecture said. According to UK Home Office provisional statistics, almost 24,000 people have arrived on small boats in the UK in 2025. An investigation is under way under the authority of the prosecutor to determine the circumstances of the man's death. It comes after US President Donald Trump told Europe it 'better get your act together' on immigration as he landed in Scotland last night. Mr Trump landed in the country on Friday evening for a four-day visit to both of his golf clubs in Aberdeen and Ayrshire. Asked about illegal immigration - which successive UK governments have sought to curb - Mr Trump said: 'On immigration, you better get your act together. You're not going to have Europe anymore, you've got to get your act together. 'As you know, last month we had nobody entering our country - nobody, (we) shut it down.' He added: 'You've got to stop this horrible invasion that's happening to Europe' add that immigration was 'killing Europe'. Trump's comments come after hundreds of protestors concerned about a controversial migrant hotel marched through Epping as police launched a huge operation to stop the event spilling over into violence.] Some European leaders, Trump continued, 'have not let it happen' and are 'not getting the proper credit they should', though the president did not say who he was talking about.
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Angry protests erupt outside taxpayer-funded asylum hotel as demonstrators shout: 'Back in your rubber dinghies!'
Angry protests erupted outside a taxpayer-funded asylum hotel in Leeds today, with demonstrators shouting 'back in your rubber dinghies' to those inside. Police were out in force as crowds waving Union flags and banging instruments converged on the Britannia Hotel in the Seacroft area of the city. Officers formed a defensive cordon around the building, which was targeted during last summer's riots. Today, protesters - some of them masked - were seen shouting 'get them out, get them out' in the faces of police, who refused to let them through. One man screamed 'back in your rubber dinghies', while another said: 'Not only have they got a free hotel they have extra bobbies looking after them'. There were also screams of 'paedo' by protesters who accused one migrant of taking pictures of a young girl at the nearby Tesco. Residents were instructed to remain inside the hotel during the protest, which saw at least one man arrested - according to a livestream video. Footage of the demonstration ended with the organisers thanking people for coming, with one speaker saying: 'You have done yourselves proud.' Protests took place earlier this week outside The Britannia International Hotel in London's Canary Wharf. Multiple demonstrations have also been held outside the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, since July 13 after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl. In response, the Home Office has said it is working to close hotels and 'restore order'. And in a bid to stop migrants rejecting alternative housing without a valid reason, ministers will bring in new rules to tackle non-compliance. A 'Failure to Travel' policy will ensure illegal migrants who are moved from hotels to other 'suitable' accommodation must take it. If they refuse they could lose their housing and support, the Home Office said. Around 100 asylum seekers refuse to move accommodation each week, the Mail understands, and ministers currently have no powers to force them. Under the Conservatives, the Government threatened to remove housing and support from those who refused to move to the Bibby Stockholm barge, which is no longer in use. Labour's new plan will mirror the Tory rules, but will be applied more widely to other forms of accommodation. The 'firm but fair' policy is part of the Government's drive to end the use of expensive hotels to house asylum seekers. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has vowed to put a stop to the practice by 2029 - in a move she says will save £1billion a year. Currently, taxpayers are forking out £5.7million per day to house asylum seekers in hotels - at an average cost of £118.87 per person per night. Other accommodation, such as shared houses, is estimated to cost just £15 per night. Ministers are looking to buy tower blocks and former student accommodation to house migrants in a bid to reduce the hotel bill. More than 106,000 asylum seekers were in receipt of taxpayer-funded support as of March this year, including 32,000 in hotels. The Home Office has said it is working to close hotels and 'restore order' Asylum seekers are given free accommodation and a weekly allowance if the Home Office believes they would otherwise be destitute. The majority of those arriving on small boats qualify. Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: 'We inherited an asylum system on the brink of collapse - mismanaged, under strain, and costing the public a fortune. We are getting a grip. 'We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system. This government is making those necessary decisions to protect the taxpayer and uphold the integrity of our borders. 'These reforms to the Failure to Travel policy are another example of this government's action to transform the asylum accommodation system and crack down on those who abuse our system, so it operates fairly and saves the taxpayer money.'
