Man Arrested Over Suspected Facilitating of Small Boat Crossings

The 38-year-old, who claims to be Iraqi, is suspected of facilitating illegal immigration from Turkey, advertising people smuggling services on social media.

An inflatable craft carrying illegal immigrants crosses the shipping lane in the English Channel off the coast of Dover, England, on Aug. 4, 2022. Dan Kitwood/Getty Images

A man has been arrested on Sunday on suspicion of facilitating small boat crossings, the National Crime Agency (NCA) said.

The 38-year-old man, who claims to be an Iraqi national, was detained in England early on Sunday at an address in the Stefano Road area of Preston, from where NCA officers also seized phones and documents, the agency said.