The Foreign Secretary David Lammy is to introduce a “world first” to sanction people smuggling gangs and the National Crime Agency (NCA) has identified smugglers.
Once the legislation has been passed by Parliament the sanctions will be implemented, it is expected this will be put before MPs within months.
Labour has warned the smugglers that “nothing is off the table” and penalties will include their assets being frozen, including bank accounts, travel bans, and they will also be struck off from being a director of a UK business.
Lammy said, “We’re accelerating efforts with our partners to pinpoint where sanctions can have a clear disruptive and deterrent effect on key individuals in these criminal networks, and which can complement existing law enforcement action.
“This will ensure that when our sanctions regime is launched, it has maximum impact from day one.
“This is about dismantling networks, hitting the profiteers hard and sending a clear message: that criminals who put people’s lives at risk have nowhere to hide as we restore order to the immigration system.”
NCA Director General of Operations Rob Jones said, “Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the NCA, and we are putting more resource into targeting the criminal networks behind it than ever before.
“We are determined to do all we can to disrupt and dismantle people smuggling gangs wherever they operate, using the full range of the tactics at our disposal.”
Nick Dale, Director of Intelligence at Stop The Traffik said, “Traffickers run criminal enterprises that rely on exploiting some of the most vulnerable in society, and they are motivated by greed.
“At Stop The Traffik, we are really pleased that the FCDO is taking the view that traffickers should be sanctioned to prevent them from enjoying their ill-gotten gains, and keen to play our part in making sure that traffickers have no place to hide.”
