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Two men from Nottinghamshire are among four people who have been arrested as part of a National Crime Agency investigation into a group alleged to have smuggled migrants to the UK in boats from Belgium.

Two Albanian nationals, aged 44 and 48, in Nottingham and a 46-year-old Irish man in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, were arrested by NCA officers this morning, Tuesday.

Investigators allege they have been involved in acquiring a rigid hulled inflatable boat – RHIB – and using it to travel to Belgium to collect migrants, landing at Margate in Kent.

A 51-year-old man from Albania was also arrested in Hove, East Sussex, this morning for his suspected role in assisting unlawful immigration.

Officers from the National Crime Agency have arrested two men from Nottinghamshire in connection with people smuggling

The men are all alleged to be part of a gang organising a series of people smuggling runs to the UK from Europe, including a number of crossing events last year.

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The operation is linked to two arrests in Belgium on October 30 last year, where a man from Basingstoke and a man from Leicester were arrested on suspicion of people smuggling offences as they arrived on the coast near Nieuwpoort at 4.30am.

Twelve migrants, including a child, all believed to be Albanian nationals, were also taken into custody by the Belgian authorities.

Colin Williams, NCA branch commander, said: “These arrests follow an extensive investigation into individuals who we believe were involved in a number of migrant crossings from Belgium to the Kent coast in 2022.

“Tackling people smuggling continues to be a priority for the NCA as we target and disrupt organised crime groups at every step of the route.”

Nottinghamshire pair among group arrested on people smuggling charges