A man has been arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into people smuggling from the UK to France in lorries.
National Crime Agency (NCA) officers apprehended the 42-year-old Iraqi man at an address in Ashford this afternoon.
He is also suspected of facilitating inbound facilitation of asylum seekers to the UK.
The man was taken into custody and is being questioned.
The arrest follows activity at an industrial estate in the town, where NCA officers saw asylum seekers near two men and a number of HGVs.
NCA branch commander Sara-Jayne Moore said: “This arrest is part of our ongoing investigation into a large-scale criminal network responsible for smuggling migrants from the UK to France, and in the other direction.
“People smugglers don’t have any concern about the safety or well-being of human beings they transport, whether it is in boats or HGVs.
“They’re driven solely by financial gain. The same crime groups smuggling people out of the country are often engaged in bringing people in, too, so operations like this allow us to target their UK activities.
“People leaving the UK in lorries may be doing so because they are wanted by law enforcement, they may be trying to dodge French immigration checks, or they may be being trafficked or exploited.
“The risks to both the people being transported and to border security remain, regardless of the direction they are travelling in.”
