A suspected criminal gang accused of helping more than 200 migrants from Botswana enter the UK illegally over a two-year period has been targeted in a series of raids.
Six people were arrested across England on Tuesday morning, with the lead suspect, a 37-year-old Botswana national, detained in Cheltenham.
Four other men and one woman, aged between 33 and 50, were also arrested in Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and Bradford.
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The suspected gang is alleged to have helped migrants use fake documents to submit asylum claims and gain employment in care homes without adequate training.
The Home Office said intelligence suggested the suspected lead smuggler lured people here under false pretences and forced them to do unpaid work.
The “scale of the threat” meant this was one of the government’s highest priority investigations, according to Phillip Parr, an inspector with the Immigration Enforcement’s criminal and financial investigation unit.
Mr Parr said there was “no place for those who profit from human misery” and the operation safeguarded potentially hundreds of people from further exploitation.
The raids are part of the government’s latest efforts to tackle people smuggling gangs and stop small boat crossings.
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The Home Office said almost 30,000 people have been returned since the election last July – 12% more than the same period last year.
However, so far this year a record 13,617 people have crossed the Channel in small boats, compared with 10,775 for the same period last year, and more than previous comparable years.
On Saturday, 1,195 people made the crossing, the highest figure so far for 2025.
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Speaking to Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips this weekend, Defence Secretary John Healey said Britain had “lost control of its borders over the last five years”.
The government said it was tightening UK visa controls and reducing reliance on overseas workers.
Home Office minister Dan Jarvis said Tuesday’s raids demonstrate the UK “will use the full force of the law against those who facilitate illegal entry into the UK for exploitation”.
