Fifteen people have been arrested in connection with a human trafficking operation involving the smuggling of individuals into the UK via lorries.
On Friday, police reported that during a recent operation, they discovered 37 Albanian citizens waiting to cross into England at a hotel in Ghent, Belgium.
The alleged leader of the trafficking gang, a 29-year-old Albanian, was apprehended in Ghent on Monday, bringing the total number of arrests to 15. Of those arrested, 12 were in Belgium, while two were detained in England and one in Germany.
Suspects detained outside Belgium are set to be extradited under a European Arrest Warrant to face human trafficking charges.
The Belgian Federal Police, which spearheaded the investigation in coordination with the UK’s National Crime Agency, confirmed that two Albanian nationals, Admir Canaj, 38, and Astrit Ramoshi, 37, were arrested in London on Tuesday and are accused of orchestrating the smuggling operation.
Details regarding the identities and nationalities of the individuals arrested in Belgium and Germany have not yet been disclosed.