People smugglers advertise ‘back door' migrant routes on Facebook

Yahoo

4 hours ago

People smugglers are exploiting the soft border between Britain and Ireland to try to bring illegal migrants into the UK, Facebook adverts reveal.
Albanian gangs are charging £4,000 to get the migrants to this country through the 'back door' route, a Telegraph investigation shows.
The gangs give migrants fake Italian ID cards that are used to fly them into Ireland, before they sneak into mainland Britain on ferries, allowing them to work illegally or claim asylum with their Albanian passports.
The immigration scam is one of a series of ruses being promoted on Facebook. Advertisements offer the chance for Albanian migrants to enter the UK via plane, lorry or yacht.
The routes are being advertised as an alternative to Channel crossings after a crackdown by authorities and the introduction of a fast-track deportation scheme that reduced the number of Albanians arriving in small boats from 12,658 in 2022 to fewer than 1,000 last year.
It has forced the Border Force and the National Crime Agency (NCA) to adapt their tactics.
Twenty Albanians were found hidden in a yacht intercepted in Cornwall in April.
Last month, 33 people were arrested as part of a crackdown on people smugglers in Northern Ireland abusing the Common Travel Area (CTA).
The CTA allows free movement between the UK and Ireland. Passports are not required for UK and Irish citizens travelling between the countries.
Although air and sea carriers say they require some form of ID, documents are not always checked. Ireland is not in the EU's Schengen area but will accept EU IDs as well as passports.
Ben Thomas, the Home Office immigration enforcement deputy director, said: 'Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities.
'The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the Common Travel Area and undermine the UK's border security.'
In a post on a Facebook group titled Albanians in the UK, a people smuggler said: 'Who'd like to go up to the island and join their family? We have the best ways and super offers.'
An undercover reporter, posing as a prospective illegal migrant, was told: 'I'd like to suggest to you the best way – by airplane from Italy. I hope you have travelled in the past by airplane and do not have any banning orders to enter the EU. I sent a couple and a child one week ago. It went very well.
'From Italy, you get to Dublin, Ireland, and then to the UK. It's £4,000 sterling per person. Money to be paid in Albania. We send you from Albania to Italy with your Albanian passports, then from Italy to Dublin on Italian ID cards. You will stay a maximum of one or two days in Naples.
'The IDs are Italian. They are real and resemble the person travelling. No one will touch you at the gates. We have information and our person there.
'In Dublin, you claim asylum with the Albanian passport, then you go to Northern Ireland and travel to the UK. On arrival in the UK, there is no passport control. Do not worry about it.
'That family I mentioned to you went to Dublin on easyJet.'
The people smuggler sent a video of an easyJet plane with an Albanian showing the two-finger symbol of liberty.
Another ad in a Facebook group titled Work in the UK, with 17,800 members, posted on June 7: 'Lorry, yacht, and airplane. The best prices for those who'd like to get to the UK.'
A third in the same group charged £5,000 for a 'lorry to the UK'.
A fourth, dated June 1, said: 'Hello Albanians. Who is interested in getting to the UK on a small boat or lorry? Leave your mobile number and I will contact you.'
Another account, under a female name, claimed to be working for the Home Office and was willing to help asylum seekers with their application.
Her ad, posted on June 4, stated: 'Anyone who needs help with documents, I work for the Home Office and help Albanians prepare documents, write letters to family and friends, take photos with relevant descriptions – everything needed to build the case before it is sent. Please, only write to me if you are serious.'
The NCA is working with social media companies to take down adverts promoting illegal migration, with a record 8,000 removed last year.
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