Full Breakdown
Police Crackdowns Disrupt Organized Immigration Crime in Kent and Cumbria
By Drooid · · How we work
Operation Overview – Kent
Between September 21 and October 7, Kent Police, together with Essex Police and the Metropolitan Police, conducted a two-week targeted operation aimed at organised immigration crime. Officers stopped vehicles at the Dartford Crossing and on the M20, seizing cannabis, cash, illicit tobacco worth about £5,000 and additional cash of £2,000. Six men were arrested on September 23 on suspicion of drug dealing after a foreign-origin vehicle was intercepted. Subsequent stops led to the detention of five Romanian men linked to a burglary, a Polish man suspected of large-scale cocaine smuggling, and a man wanted on a European Arrest Warrant for smuggling offences in Romania. Inspections of vape shops, nail bars, convenience stores and fast-food delivery services resulted in further arrests for immigration offences and the seizure of drug-related paraphernalia.
Operation Overview – Cumbria
A week-long joint effort led by Cumbria Police, supported by Immigration Enforcement, Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service, Trading Standards and HM Revenue and Customs, targeted organised immigration crime across the county. The operation seized five cars, approximately 95,000 counterfeit cigarettes, cannabis and prescription medication. Twelve individuals were arrested on suspicion of illegal entry, assisting unlawful immigration, drug offences and money laundering. Three were transferred to Immigration Enforcement, two received cautions, four were released on bail and three remain under investigation.
Data & Statistics
- Kent: 22 arrests; cannabis, cash, illicit tobacco (£5,000) and £2,000 cash seized; multiple vehicles stopped.
- Cumbria: 12 arrests; 5 cars, 95,000 counterfeit cigarettes, cannabis and prescription medication seized.
Official Statements & Responses
Detective Inspector Sam Johnson (Cumbria Police) highlighted the role of transport networks in enabling criminal groups and stressed the need for community reporting to disrupt organised immigration crime.
David Allen, Cumbria’s police, fire and crime commissioner, praised the collaborative effort, noting Cumbria’s position as a gateway for illicit movement of people and goods.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Transport networks provide opportunities for criminal groups to move people, assets and commodities.” — Detective Inspector Sam Johnson
- “Organised immigration crime is a complex and evolving challenge to policing across the UK.” — Kendal. Det Insp Johnson