Britain Seizes 1,100 Boats and Boat Engines Used for Illegal Migration Across the English Channel in Two Years

London, August 20 (KUNA) -- The British Home Office announced on Thursday that it successfully seized more than 1,100 fishing boats and boat engines over the past two years, which were intended to smuggle illegal migrants from the northern coast of France to southern England. In a statement, the Home Office said these operations helped prevent more than 72,000 people from undertaking irregular migration across the English Channel. It noted that specialized British security agencies, in cooperation with international partners, arrested approximately 300 individuals linked to human smuggling networks last year. The statement added that ten members of these smuggling gangs, arrested on charges of operating smuggling vessels, were tried and given lengthy prison sentences in the UK. It highlighted the success of nearly a year and a half in increasing the number of officers in the Illegal Migration Unit of the National Crime Agency from 376 to around 800. Furthermore, since July 2024, approximately 70,000 illegal migrants have been deported from the United Kingdom, while British-French cooperation has prevented 46,000 people from crossing the English Channel. (End) M.R.N. / M.S.A.