A man suspected of being a major supplier of boats for people smugglers operating the English Channel migrant crossings has been arrested.
The 44-year-old Turkish national was detained at Schipol Airport, Amsterdam, on Wednesday after a joint investigation by Dutch and Belgian authorities and the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA).
He is suspected of shipping dinghies and engines from Turkey and storing them in Germany, before they are moved to northern France for crossings, an NCA spokesperson said.
NCA director general in operations, Rob Jones, said: “We suspect that this individual is a major supplier of boats and engines to the smugglers operating in Belgium and northern France.
“The types of vessels and engines we see used in making these crossings are highly dangerous and completely unfit for open water.
“At least 50 people are known to have died this year as a result. There is no legitimate use for them.”
So far this year more than 32,000 people have arrived in the UK having made the journey across the English Channel by boat, according to Home Office figures.
The operation comes as the NCA is leading around 70 live investigations into organised immigration crime or human trafficking, according to the agency.
The arrest of the suspected boat supplier was carried out through a Europol Operational Task Force and partners.
A spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office of West-Flanders said international cooperation is “crucial in the fight against human smuggling”.
Home secretary Yvette Cooper added: “We will relentlessly pursue the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings that undermine our border security and put lives at risk.
“This major investigation shows how important it is for our crime-fighting agencies to be working hand in glove with our international partners to get results.”
Prime minister Keir Starmer said: “It is good news that today a man suspected of being a significant supplier of small boat equipment has been arrested. Criminal gangs have been getting away with this for far too long.
“I want to thank the UK National Crime Agency, along with their Dutch and Belgian counterparts, for all their hard work and their crucial role in this investigation.
“It’s exactly what we want to see and it shows that our approach of working with international partners to smash the people smuggling gangs is bearing fruit.”
Sir Keir said his Government “inherited a very bad position” with record numbers of migrants in the first half of the year because the entire focus had been on the “Rwanda gimmick”.
He added: “If the boats and the engines aren’t available, it obviously makes it much more difficult for these crossings to be made.
“So that is why it is very significant this arrest has taken place today. This is a significant piece of the jigsaw.
“I’m not pretending it is the silver bullet. There are other steps that are going to be necessary, but this is a very important step.”
