Almost 50 arrests in operation targeting cross-border people smugglers
The arrests are part of Operation Comby, a multi-agency crackdown targeting individuals who have illegally passed from Ireland to the UK.
Almost 50 arrests in operation targeting cross-border people smugglers
Immigration Enforcement carried out 49 arrests over three days of targeted action in a crackdown on criminal gangs illegally smuggling people from the Republic of Ireland to the UK.
The arrests form part of Operation Comby, a multi-agency crackdown aimed at ending abuse of the Common Travel Area (CTA) between Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom and Ireland are both part of the CTA, which permits citizens of each country to travel between them without a passport as a legal requirement.
From September 22 to 24, law enforcement agencies patrolled ports, roads and rail networks across Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales in an effort to catch those bypassing UK immigration laws.
Since July 2024, the operation has resulted in the arrest of over 250 organised criminals and immigration offenders, 113 of whom have been removed, the Home Office said.
It has also led to the seizure of almost half a million pounds in cash.
The operation works alongside Immigration Enforcement's Operation Gull
The operation works alongside Immigration Enforcement's Operation Gull, which carries out routine deployments at Northern Irish ports and airports to tackle abuse of the CTA.
It resulted in almost 1,000 arrests in the past year.
At Belfast International Airport, two Romanian women were arrested as illegal entrants to the UK after travelling from Ireland to Northern Ireland without the required permissions.
The Home Office said "further checks identified them as possible victims of people trafficking".
It said "intelligence was gained on the criminals who pushed them into the journey".
One of the women was detained for removal back to Romania, while the other returned voluntarily back to Ireland.
Elsewhere, after intelligence sharing, Belfast Harbour Police stopped a vehicle at Belfast Port carrying four Romanian nationals.
Searches of the vehicle uncovered £130,000 worth of counterfeit Apple products.
All four people were arrested and now face removal from the UK.
Anna Turley, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, said: "We are bearing down on these organised criminal gangs who operate on wicked lies and deception.
"Individuals who think they can get round our laws will quickly find out that they will not be successful.
"This operation is a very clear example of Immigration Enforcement's round the clock work disrupt these criminal gangs and remove those with no right to be in the UK."
Eddy Montgomery, Director of Enforcement, Compliance and Crime, said: "Immigration crime can take many forms, but at the heart of what we do is protecting vulnerable people and ensuring the criminal gangs who exploit them are brought down."
These arrests come alongside a wider 74% surge in organised immigration crime arrests.
Between July 2024 and June 2026, Immigration Enforcement carried out almost 3,000 enforcement visits in Northern Ireland, leading to over 2,400 arrests.
Nearly 1,000 people have since been returned, with almost 500 of those being to Ireland.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced plans to double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028/29 and increase workforce numbers by 60%.
This is expected to lead to tens of thousands more raids, arrests, and removals of people who are not entitled to be in the UK.