A 44-year-old Turkish man, suspected of being a major supplier of boats and engines to people smugglers, has been arrested in Amsterdam following a joint operation by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), Dutch, and Belgian police. The man was detained at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday and is set to be extradited to Belgium to face human smuggling charges.
Authorities believe the suspect played a key role in providing equipment to smugglers operating in northern France and Belgium, shipping boats and engines from Turkey, storing them in Germany, and then transporting them to smugglers along the northern French coast.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the arrest an important step in tackling illegal Channel crossings but warned it was not a “silver bullet” solution. He described the operation as a significant milestone in the fight against organized immigration crime, noting that the government’s efforts to disrupt people smuggling networks were paying off.
Starmer also highlighted the need for additional measures to reduce illegal crossings, including a £75m funding boost for UK border enforcement. The arrest comes amid a sharp increase in Channel crossings, with more than 32,000 people attempting the dangerous journey in 2024 alone, surpassing the total for 2023. Over 50 people have died trying to cross the English Channel this year.
