Authorities have seized another major consignment of inflatable boats intended for illegal Channel crossings, marking the second significant interception in under three weeks.
Overnight on 10 August, Bulgarian National Customs Agency officers, acting on intelligence from the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA), intercepted a truck at the Kapitan Andreevo checkpoint — one of Europe’s busiest border crossings.
Inside, officers discovered 20 eight-metre-long inflatables, each capable of carrying 50 to 60 people, despite being “completely unsuitable for deep-water use.” The lorry was bound for the Netherlands.
The driver has been charged with breaching Bulgarian customs regulations.
Part of Ongoing Crackdown on Smuggling Supply Lines
This latest seizure follows a 26 July operation at the same checkpoint that intercepted 25 similar boats. Since January, authorities have seized 69 boats at the crossing, and more than 700 boats and engines have been confiscated across Europe since early 2023.
Gill Duggan, NCA Head of Europe, said:
“This second significant seizure demonstrates how we are stepping up our work with overseas partners, targeting the supply lines of OCGs [organised crime groups] running small boat crossings from France to the UK.
Stopping these dangerous boats from reaching people smugglers has prevented crossings, saved lives, and hit gang profits hard.”
Government: ‘Clear Progress’ Against Criminal Gangs
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper praised the international cooperation, saying:
“Criminals who facilitate these dangerous crossings are undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.
Seizing these boats upstream is just part of the work we’re doing with European and international partners to dismantle the infrastructure they use. Operations like this show we are making clear progress.”
The NCA, working alongside the Home Office International Operations, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, and HM Revenue & Customs, has more than 90 active investigations into top-tier smuggling gangs.
