Joint UK Border Agency – Spain operation cracks down on illegal immigration gangs

The Spanish authorities and the UK Border Agency in Spain have arrested 9 members of a criminal organisation. The criminal organisation operated in Spain are believed to have organised the illegal entry of migrants, mainly Iranian nationals into the UK.

The 9 arrested were 5 Iranians, 1 Mauritanian, 1 Moroccan, 1 Malian and 1 Colombian. They have been charged with a variety of offences including falsification of documentation and provision of false documents, credit card fraud, membership of a criminal organisation and people smuggling. It is not known how many people were successfully smuggled in total by this group.
Simon Cooper, UK Border Agency international group assistant director responsible for Spain said:
‘The UK Border Agency continues to work in close partnership with the Spanish police authorities to tackle illegal migration and the criminal gangs behind it.
These arrests represent the successful outcome of a multi-agency operation led by the Spanish police and conducted in close collaboration with the UK Border Agency overseas and in the UK.
Those who engage in the facilitation of illegal migration should know that they will be targeted and brought to justice’.
The main gang member was identified through collaborative working between the UK Border Agency team in Madrid and the Spanish Central Organised Immigration Crime Brigade. This successful collaboration is viewed by the UK and the Spanish authorities as a major success and a template for further joint working to tackle illegal migration.
Source: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/newsarticles/2012/april/74-ukba-spain