Migrants ‘may now be coming inland’: Rural villages are ‘the new target for yachts smuggling people and drugs’

Rural villages in the interior are becoming new targets for immigrants and drugs smuggled on yachts.

Home Office intelligence estimates suggest there are up to 9,000 locations that could be used to secretly smuggle people and goods into the country.

Most of these are quiet inland communities, away from the coast. The National Crime Agency has even begun installing signs in villages warning residents to report suspicious-looking boats.

Airmyn, a Yorkshire village with a population of just 800, has been flagged as a ‘suspicious’ boat landing site.

Posters have been erected in the village, located 35 miles from the sea, asking locals to ask if they have seen ‘boats arriving at unusual times’.

The poster, erected as part of the Operation Kraken campaign, urges the public to ‘report this’ and ‘get organized’ and provides contact details for UK Border Watch via Crimestoppers.

The warning posters are supported by Border Force, Joint Maritime Security Centre, National Police Chiefs’ Council, NCA and Counter Terrorism Police.

Five people were arrested in Chichester after a yacht carrying seven illegal Albanian immigrants was stopped at the town’s marina.

Five people were arrested in Chichester after a yacht carrying seven illegal Albanian immigrants (pictured) was seized at the city’s marina.

A trafficker’s TikTok post reads: ‘Who’s in Belgium? The yacht will return tomorrow morning. Safe passage through checkpoints

Another post reads: ‘Yacht leaves for England tomorrow.’ This is accompanied by the view of a luxury yacht and sunset alongside British and Albanian flags

Two crew members, a 25-year-old Albanian and a 42-year-old British, were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration to the UK.

Two Albanians and a British citizen were also arrested on suspicion of being a ‘shore party’ to welcome the boat.

This came a year after a similar smuggling operation in which Border Force seized a yacht with 20 Albanians on board off the coast of Cornwall.

Speaking after the arrests, a former people smuggler who transported dozens of migrants to coastal towns said yachts were seen as an easy way to bring people into the country.

Traffickers are now using TIkTok to advertise places on yachts to customers.

An ad on the social media platform reported by TelegramHe said: ‘Go to England tomorrow.’ This is accompanied by the image of a luxury yacht and sunset alongside British and Albanian flags.

Another post shows a photo of a less flashy yacht on a Belgian river. He writes: ‘Who is in Belgium? The yacht will return tomorrow morning. ‘Safe passage through checkpoints.’

John Tuckett, chief inspector of the Borders and Immigration Service, said in a report last year that ‘at the most basic level’ the Border Force did not know how many locations could be used for illegal removals.

He said Home Office Intelligence estimated there were between 7,000 and 9,000 locations.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs was contacted for comment.