FLASH NEWS
The Times/ Albanians abandon dinghies, the "bargain" of paying to enter England by truck increases
2025-04-03 15:07:28 / AKTUALITET
France will once again turn back migrants crossing the Channel after a senior minister said it was "a clear message" to those planning to make the journey.
Evidence, according to The Times, suggests that traffickers have developed new tactics for trafficking Albanians to the UK since the signing of a rapid return agreement with the Albanian prime minister in 2022, which allows those arriving by small boats to be deported almost immediately.
Albanians are willing to pay up to £23,000 to travel to the UK in the back of a lorry to avoid detection by the UK Border Force. The number of Albanians arriving by small boats has fallen from 12,658 in 2022 to 616 last year.
Albanians are the largest nationality discovered in the back of vehicles at UK ports and now account for a fifth of all discoveries.
Human traffickers are also using new tactics to avoid detection on social media by misleading their advertisements. Retailleau, who became interior minister in September, acknowledged that the French must do more to stop boats as they leave France.
He was speaking before changes to French law come into force next month, which will enable French police and rescue teams to stop boats in shallow waters.
When asked about the possibility of the French accepting migrants who have arrived illegally in the UK in small boats, Retailleau said on Tuesday: “I think there should be an agreement that we can reach, a bilateral agreement between governments. Because we see many of those who arrive on British soil, they do not return. Even when someone has crossed the Channel, if they return, that would send a clear message.”
Almost all migrants arriving in the UK by small boats are picked up by UK Border Force vessels, meaning their details are recorded and the Albanians are identified and prepared for deportation to their home country.
But many of those who arrive in the back of trucks can pass through undetected by authorities.
This route is significantly more expensive. The Times found people paying up to £23,000 for a seat in a truck. Advertisements posted on TikTok offer a broader package for migrants that also includes work in organised crime groups such as cannabis farms or burglary operations.
Albanian Emiliano Krosi, 24, was sentenced to 11 years in prison in November for his involvement in 33 burglaries, including the homes of Premier League footballers Raheem Sterling and Marc Cucurella.
TikTok has started removing these ads more and more often, but traffickers simply open new accounts and ask "clients" to contact them on WhatsApp, where they can pass without being detected.
A person familiar with Albanian human trafficking gangs told The Times that they have changed tactics since the law changed in 2023, considering Albania a safe country.
When a reporter contacted the traffickers on TikTok expressing interest in going to the UK, they provided a UK number, saying: “Contact on WhatsApp.” On WhatsApp, the trafficker made an offer: “In the back of a truck 23,000. You need to get to Brussels.”
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