British skipper, 64, is arrested after Border Force cutter intercepts motor yacht with eight illegal Albanian immigrants on board in the English Channel

  • The 46-foot cruiser was intercepted and escorted into Portsmouth, Hampshire 
  • Skipper arrested on suspicion of trying to facilitate breach of immigration laws
  • Vessel is now being forensically examined after Coastguard helicopter saw it 

By Sebastian Murphy-bates For Mailonline

Published: | Updated:

A British skipper, 64, has been arrested after a Border Force cutter intercepted a motor yacht with eight illegal Albanian immigrants on board in the English Channel.

The Coastguard helicopter swooped on the vessel after spotting it yesterday evening.

The 46-foot motor cruiser was escorted into Portsmouth, Hampshire, and is now being forensically examined.

Immigration enforcement is considering the cases of the Albanians found on board, the National Crime Agency (NCA) confirmed today.

Pictured: The Border Force boat next to the yacht on which eight Albanian nationals were found yesterday

Pictured: The Border Force boat next to the yacht on which eight Albanian nationals were found yesterday 

The 64-year-old Briton was arrested on suspicion of attempting to facilitate a breach of immigration laws and is now being questioned by NCA investigators. His boat is being analysed at the Portsmouth naval base.

Martin Matthews, operations manager at the NCA, said: 'The NCA works closely with our law enforcement partners to protect our borders, and targeting and disrupting criminal groups involved in people smuggling is one of our highest priorities.

'This particular incident is now the subject of a criminal investigation, and I'm grateful for the assistance of Border Force, the Maritime & Coastguard Agency and Ministry of Defence in that.' 

Around 1,500 asylum seekers have made it into Britain since January, with record numbers risking their lives to get to the UK by small boats.

Pictured: Dinghies at the coast in Dover, Kent, where migrants are often intercepted after making the journey across the Channel

Pictured: Dinghies at the coast in Dover, Kent, where migrants are often intercepted after making the journey across the Channel

A total of 237 boats were picked up in the Channel in the first 10 months of 2019 - but only 99 of them were stopped by the French.

The migrant crisis has raged on since last November, with hundreds making the perilous trip across the Dover Strait, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.

They are typically picked up by Border Force officers after making it on to British waters - usually off the Kent coast - and brought into Dover to be questioned.

Millions of pounds has been spent by the Home Office in an effort to stop the crossings, but they continued to surge and reached record numbers in the summer.

In August, 336 migrants made it into Britain - including 86 in one day - while a woman drowned after falling overboard during a crossing. Her body was found on Dutch waters weeks after the incident.

 

CrimeMigrant Crisis

Most watched News videos

Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.