A 29-year-old Indian national has been arrested in Birmingham after investigators uncovered suspected people smuggling advertisements on social media platforms.
Officers detained the man at a property in the Handsworth area on Monday as part of a joint operation between the National Crime Agency and West Midlands Police.
He is suspected of working with an organised crime network that moves migrants hidden in the backs of lorries.
The arrest came following an investigation into how criminal gangs use social media to promote their illegal immigration services, with the suspect now facing questioning on suspicion of facilitating illegal entry into the UK.
The operation saw NCA officers and West Midlands Police swoop on an address in the Holyhead Road area of Handsworth on Monday morning, 22 December.
Investigators believe the suspect was operating on behalf of a criminal network that smuggles people into Britain concealed in heavy goods vehicles.
He was taken into custody on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration, with authorities now piecing together evidence from the raid.
The joint investigation represents a coordinated effort between the two agencies to crack down on organised immigration crime networks that exploit vulnerable people seeking to enter the country illegally.
A 29-year-old Indian national has been arrested by the National Crime Agency in Birmingham after investigators uncovered suspected people smuggling advertisements on social media platforms
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PAThe suspect remains in custody and is being questioned by investigators from both the NCA and West Midlands Police.
During the raid, officers seized a number of electronic devices, which are now being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.
There was also a second arrest at the Holyhead Road property, where another man was detained for being in the UK illegally.
Investigators believe the suspect was operating on behalf of a criminal network that smuggles people into Britain concealed in heavy goods vehicles
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GETTYHe was subsequently handed over to immigration authorities to deal with his case separately.
The seizure of electronic devices could prove crucial in understanding how the suspected smuggling network operated and advertised its services online.
NCA Branch Commander Kevin Broadhead made clear that disrupting these criminal operations remains at the top of the agency’s agenda.
“Tackling organised immigration crime remains a priority for the NCA, and we are determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the networks involved,” he said.
“Our investigation, which is being conducted alongside partners from West Midlands Police, continues following this arrest.”
