Official data reveals a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets following Keir Starmer’s pledge to “smash the gangs”.
Smuggling gangs have been hit with the largest crackdown on record, new figures show.
Official data reveals a 33% surge in smuggling arrests, convictions and seizures of criminal cash and assets following the PM’s pledge to “ smash the gangs ”.
A record breaking quarter at the beginning of the year saw nearly 900 organised immigration crime networks dismantled for good, with no ability to continue their organised criminal activity.
There were also nearly 4,000 organised immigration crime disruptions since the Border Security Command was established in July 2024.
It follows hardline reforms announced by the Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood to remove incentives that draw illegal migrants to the UK, and make it easier to remove those with no right to be here.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Alex Norris said: “Organised immigration crime has wreaked havoc on our borders and I will not stand by and watch it continue.
“The criminal gangs who think they can abuse our borders are wildly mistaken, in addition to increasing disruptions by 33% I am removing the pull factors that make the UK the destination of choice for migrants.
“We must go further and faster, our sweeping reforms to tackle illegal migration will remove incentives and scale up removals, building on the 50,000 already returned.”
Major disruptions, which includes enforcement activity that has a significant or long term impact on organised immigration crime, are up 51% in the year ending September 2025 compared to the previous year.
This included stopping a gang using fake identity documents to bring over 500 Gambian nationals to the UK illegally, with the smuggling kingpin believed to have made a turnover of £1.3m in his bank account despite claiming to only earn £35,000 a year working for a furniture manufacturing company.
Across July and August 2025, the NCA in partnership with Bulgarian law enforcement acted on intelligence provided by the Home Office to seize over 50 small boats that were due to be transported across Europe for use by people smugglers in the English Channel.
Statistics also reveal that the average number of people per small boat is at a record high of 59, – which officials believe shows that worried gangs are forced to take greater risks.