Kaiwan Poore, a 37-year-old Iranian-born British national, was handed over to French authorities today. He was detained by police earlier this month at Manchester Airport before boarding a flight to Turkey.
Prosecutors in France accuse Poore of being a member of an organised crime network involved in people smuggling. Following his extradition, he will be taken into custody by prosecutors in Lille and charged.
His departure follows the extradition of Hewa Rahimpur, 29, originally from Iran, to Belgian police yesterday after agreeing to his extradition at a hearing at Westminster Magistrates Court on Friday 15 July.
Belgian prosecutors believe Rahimpur, who was arrested by the NCA in east London in May, is a key member of a criminal organisation that is accused of transporting thousands of migrants from the northern French coast in flimsy dinghies.
The NCA has arrested a man.
He is accused of helping to find the boats and then arranging for their transport to the French or Belgian coasts, where migrants would be boarded.
Both arrests are part of a large international investigation into small boat people smugglers led by the NCA in the UK but involving law enforcement in France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.
On July 5, a series of raids across Europe resulted in the arrest of approximately 40 people, the seizure of dozens of boats and engines, and the confiscation of approximately 900 lifejackets.
All are thought to have been built to stage perilous Channel crossings.
Two people arrested as part of the raids on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration to the UK have been released on bail pending further investigation.
“The arrests of these two individuals were crucial to a major international investigation focusing on one of the most prolific crime groups thought to be involved in small boat crossings,” NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Jacque Beer said.
Where we discover these gangs have a UK presence, we are determined to use every tool at our disposal to track them down and bring them to justice.”
People smugglers risk lives by putting people into these flimsy boats – this is why tackling them remains a priority for the NCA and our European partners.”
The NCA collaborated with law enforcement in Belgium, Germany, France, and the Netherlands, as well as Europol and Eurojust, on the investigation.