Channel Smuggling Gangs Shift to 230-Person Mega-Dinghies as Crackdown Cuts Boat Supply
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 3
Channel Smuggling Gangs Shift to 230-Person Mega-Dinghies as Crackdown Cuts Boat Supply
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Sep 3
Summary
French interceptions of about two-thirds of small boats are pushing Channel smuggling gangs to load more migrants onto fewer vessels, including 15-metre “mega-dinghies” that have carried as many as 230 people.
On Gravelines beach, the BBC watched one “taxi boat” make five pickups over three hours before leaving with 82 migrants for the UK, reflecting a more coordinated daytime tactic designed to avoid detection.
The tighter policing has also raised prices to as much as €2,000 per person from about €1,300 a year ago, with gangs now demanding cash and forcing migrants to wait weeks or months for a crossing chance.
Emergency crews fear more large boats are being prepared after 170 people had to be rescued from a burning vessel on 4 August, underscoring the higher risks created by packing more people onto each trip.
The shift comes as the UK and France prepare to expand police deployments on the French coast, even though thousands still reach Britain each month and smugglers continue adapting.