NI man quizzed as migrants found in shipment of tyres

A man from Northern Ireland has been questioned as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation focused on people smuggling.
By Adam Kula
Published 6th Mar 2020, 18:05 BST
The scene where 39 bodies were found in October; the NCA said that case shows the danger of people smuggling (but is unrelated to the current investigation)The scene where 39 bodies were found in October; the NCA said that case shows the danger of people smuggling (but is unrelated to the current investigation)
The scene where 39 bodies were found in October; the NCA said that case shows the danger of people smuggling (but is unrelated to the current investigation)

The man, 30, was detained after he presented himself on Friday at the police station in Antrim town.

In addition, police carried out a search of a property in Cushendall.

He was one of four men arrested as part of the operation.

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It comes after migrants were discovered in the back of a lorry full of tyres in Belgium.

The migrants, 10 in all, are thought to be two adults and eight “juveniles”, said the NCA.

They were discovered in Ghent on Thursday, and are thought to have come from south east Asia.

The Belgian authorities were acting on information from the NCA, and arrested the driver of the vehicle, a 64-year-old man from Glasgow.

NCA officers then arrested two other men in Dover.

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They are described as Irish nationals, aged 39 and 48, and they were held on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration. It is not known if they are originally from Northern Ireland or the Republic.

It is believed they may have been based in England.

An address in Kent was also searched, and two suspected firearms seized.

The NCA said the operation was unrelated to the deaths of 39 Vietnamese people in a lorry in Essex; a crime which police believe may have been linked to people in Northern Ireland.

NCA regional head of investigation Gerry McLean said: “Our close working with Belgian partners in this instance has led to the safeguarding of a number of migrants who had been put in a very dangerous situation, and we’re grateful for their support.

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“We’ve seen only recently in Essex the tragic consequences which these types of attempts can have.

“Working with partners at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle criminal networks involved in illegal immigration, and our investigation into this matter continues.”

West Flanders prosecutor Frank Demeester said: “This kind of human smuggling is very dangerous, and the operation proves once more that international cooperation works in the fight against this type of organised crime.

“The contacts between the British NCA and Belgian Federal Judicial Police, maritime police, and prosecutors have become more intense in recent years.

“In the fight against human smuggling, the UK is obviously an important partner as being the country of destination.”