The BBC has been informed that Albanian drug gangs are recruiting in the northern French migrant camps by promising to pay for the passage of anyone willing to work in the UK drug industry upon arrival.
According to UK government statistics, Albanians make up about a third of the nearly 40,000 individuals who have arrived in small boats so far this year.
The increased involvement of Albanian middlemen in aiding crossings has senior police and immigration officials on both sides of the Channel concerned.
Albanians who traveled to the French coast to cross the English Channel in small boats were interviewed by the BBC.
“They told us about the different people smuggling services on offer, with Albanians acting mainly as middlemen for other networks often run by Iraqi Kurds, who control the small boat operations. We also travelled to Albania and saw how towns near the capital Tirana have been left almost empty, with many young Albanians being lured to France.”
Posing as a migrant, we contacted two Albanian people smugglers advertising for clients on social media. Both responded within half an hour.
We were given the option to pay in France before departure, or through a guarantor on arrival in England. And we were given advice on claiming asylum.
“When it’s time to go, they’ll come and get you [from the hotel],” we were told. “You won’t have any problems.”
Another told us he would keep in touch with us all the way through the journey: “I’ll help you find your way, but it’s very easy to arrive there.”
We asked what to expect from the police when we arrive in the UK.
