A 44-year-old Turkish man suspected of being a supplier of small boats has been arrested in what has been described as a “significant piece of the jigsaw” in tackling Channel migrant crossings.
The suspect was detained at Schipol airport in 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.
The man is facing extradition to Belgium over charges of human smuggling, a spokesperson for the public prosecutor’s office of West Flanders said.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has put international cooperation with law enforcement agencies in Europe at the heart of his efforts to cut small boat crossings.
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.
Boats and engines the suspect is thought to have supplied are likely to have been involved in transporting thousands of people to the UK over several years.
“It is good news that today a man suspected of being a significant supplier of small boat equipment has been arrested,” said Sir Keir.
“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.”
He said his government “inherited a very bad position” with record numbers of migrants in the first half of the year “because the entire focus until we had the election was on a gimmick, the Rwanda gimmick, and not enough attention was on taking down the gangs that are running this vile trade”.
But “if the boats and the engines aren’t available, it obviously makes it much more difficult for these crossings to be made”.
“So that’s why it’s very significant that this arrest has taken place today,” he said.
“This is a significant piece of the jigsaw. I’m not pretending it’s the silver bullet. There are other steps that are going to be necessary, but this is a very important step.”
NCA director general of 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.”
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.
The cross-border operation is understood to have seen the NCA involved in identifying the suspect and the equipment he is believed to have supplied.
He is likely to face legal proceedings in Belgium because the offences he is suspected of committing took place there.
The West Flanders public prosecutor’s office spokesperson said international cooperation is “crucial in the fight against human smuggling”.