French Police Bust Iraqi–Kurdish Gang Smuggling Illegal Immigrants to UK

A group of illegal immigrants is brought in to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following a small boat incident in the English Channel, on Sept. 22, 2022. Gareth Fuller/PA Media

French police have busted a people-smuggling gang which had been using small boats to take illegal immigrants across the English Channel to the UK.

The gang, based in Lille and run by Iraqi Kurds, was detected thanks to intelligence sharing between authorities in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK, police said on Sept. 22.