A superyacht glides through crystal-clear waters, like something out of a James Bond film, and you wonder which wealthy investors are on board. “The Sun” has revealed that instead of millionaires, the yacht is owned by Albanian-British gangs smuggling criminals into the United Kingdom, many of whom had previously served prison sentences in Britain and were later deported from the country.
This method of transport by yacht arouses less suspicion than the countless rubber boats crossing daily from France.
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The yachts moor in small marinas and can avoid the strict checks at major ports. “The Sun” investigation comes after it revealed last month how thousands of deported convicted migrants had secretly returned.
A reporter for “The Sun” contacted the yacht advertisement on TikTok and claimed to be an Albanian who had served a sentence in Wandsworth prison in southwest London before being deported.
After they were convinced the person was genuine, one of the group’s leaders asked for a mobile phone number before the conversation moved to WhatsApp.
One of the gang members was using a UK phone number, and they then asked for £15,500 for a place on a yacht leaving from the Netherlands and mooring near Dover.
“I have one free place on the boat today. A big yacht, a luxury one. We only accept cash. We only accept money in Albania,” he said.
The “The Sun” reporter then asked to see the yacht on a video call before making the deal. The reporter says that after agreeing, he briefly greeted him before handing the phone to another gang member, who promised a smooth and safe journey.
He told the “The Sun” reporter that he too was a former convict who had been deported after serving one year and ten months in Doncaster prison for selling cocaine.
“I have four people in the same situation as you who will be on this trip in a few days. Don’t worry about that. We spent 50,000 euros to rent a yacht for this job,” he said.
The smuggler confirmed that the captains would be Albanian and promised there would be no more than ten passengers on the yacht, which, he said, had “three luxury rooms.”
Asked whether he had taken people to the United Kingdom recently, he replied: “Ten days ago, we successfully sent 11 boys. I’m sending you messages from four boys who have been in prison in the United Kingdom.”
He then sent a screenshot on WhatsApp, explaining that three of the four migrants had problems in the United Kingdom and were afraid of being deported again.
More troublingly, he said that one of the reporter’s family members would have to meet him in a cafe and hand over the fee before he would be allowed to board.
The gang said drivers would pick up the new arrivals from a port near Dover before taking them to London. He added: “Don’t be afraid, okay?”
This comes after an investigation by “The Sun” last month revealed that 4,614 people had re-entered Britain over the past five years after being deported.
At least 723 people have been removed two or more times, while the Home Office admits the number could be even higher, as not everyone may have been identified in previous checks.
Albanians made up more than a third of the cases, with 1,525 people found in Britain even after they had previously been deported.
Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, told “The Sun” that the case was an example of why Britain has become a laughing stock over immigration.
“While the British public struggles to cope with the billions of pounds spent on illegal migration, people smugglers are mocking us by flaunting their wealth right under our noses. The Conservatives turned Britain into a revolving door for illegal migration, and the Labour Party refuses to fix it. No self-respecting nation fails to control its borders to such an extent. Reform UK would stop and deport every illegal migrant in the United Kingdom and make sure they stayed deported,” he said.
But the TikTok gang contacted by “The Sun” is not the only one, as yachts are increasingly being used to transport people to England.
Five men were arrested in May after a yacht smuggling seven people into the United Kingdom was intercepted in southern England.
