Four men arrested in people smuggling investigation

Four men, including one from Birmingham, have been arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into the smuggling of migrants across the English Channel.

A 33 year old Egyptian man was arrested in Erdington in Birmingham on Tuesday 21 June. Three other men were arrested in raids around the country.

All four were arrested on suspicion of conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration, and have all been bailed pending further enquiries.

The operation was carried out with the support of West Midlands as well as Lancashire and Wiltshire police forces, and in co-operation with the French authorities.

It follows the report of suspicious activity involving a rigid hulled inflatable boat in Ramsgate, Kent last September. It is suspected the boat had or was about to be used for the transportation of migrants illegally from either France or Belgium.

Peter Smith, branch operations manager for the NCA, said: