A 27-year-old Sudanese man has been arrested in connection with the drowning deaths of four migrants in the English Channel on Thursday, officials from Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) announced on Saturday.
The NCA says the man was arrested for endangering the lives of others while traveling to the UK by sea – an offense which was defined and put into law as part of the UK’s new border security legislation package earlier this year.
Authorities say the man was involved in illegally ferrying migrants across the Channel from France.
Police detained and arrested him in Manston, Kent, where he is being questioned.
How did the Pravasi Channel drowning incidents happen?
Authorities on both sides of the Channel say the incident for which the man was arrested occurred Thursday morning at Equihen Beach near Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
Two men and two women reportedly drowned after failing to exit and board a so-called “taxi-boat” that would take them to the UK. Another 38 migrants had to be rescued from the strong currents of the channel.
The Sudanese man and more than 70 migrants successfully completed the crossing, but were met by UK authorities when they arrived. Police told NCA that the survivors would also be interrogated.
The taxi strategy involves drivers in motorized inflatables that hover over pre-arranged pick-up points and wade into the water to board migrant vessels. This is an approach recently introduced in response to French police puncturing inflatable boats attempted to be launched from beaches by smugglers.
French maritime law prevents authorities from chasing boats in the water as this could put people’s lives at risk.
French officials say the people who drowned Thursday were far from shore when they died, adding that they were swept away by dangerous currents.
UK and France want to stop migrant crossings before they even start
Officials in France and the UK say they are focused on stopping such dangerous and illegal crossings before they happen.
The UK Home Office’s Mike Tapp, the parliamentary minister of migration and citizenship, said, “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy.”
“Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue to work closely with international partners to stop these dangerous journeys and bring those responsible to justice,” he said.
Tapp praised the UK Border Security Act, saying, “Officers now have stronger powers to take pre-emptive action and disrupt, stop and dismantle the operations of criminal smuggling rings that bring illegal migrants to our shores.”
Home Office figures show that more than 5,000 migrants have reached the UK through the channel this year.
Crossing efforts have increased of late, with about 102 migrants rescued during two separate operations on Wednesday, and two people drowning in Calais, France last week.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez