People Smugglers Use UK Businesses to Facilitate Illegal Channel Crossings
A BBC investigation has uncovered that people smugglers are directing migrants to pay for illegal Channel crossings through a network of UK-registered companies.
Undercover filming at a mobile phone shop in south-east London revealed staff informing a researcher posing as a family member of a migrant that nearly £3,000 in cash could be deposited and sent to a smuggler in France.
"You put your money here. If your friends reach [the UK], you shouldn't come back,"
the worker said at the Woolwich phone store.
The three-month investigation provides insight into how smugglers appear to be using UK companies' bank accounts to facilitate small-boat crossings, a method a leading criminal finance expert said he had not previously observed.
Tom Keatinge, from the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) security think tank, described the smugglers' approach as having a
"brazen attitude"and expressed concern that
"people feel sufficiently confident they can be out in the open."
Alongside the phone shop, the smuggler operating in France supplied bank account details of two UK-registered companies capable of accepting electronic transfers for migrant crossings: a wholesale business in Newcastle upon Tyne and a car wash in Cambridgeshire.
The smuggler, identifying himself as Ahmad, also provided information about several European businesses where cash payments could be made, including a car wash in Antwerp, Belgium, and a restaurant in Paris, France. Additionally, he shared bank details of individuals in the UK and mainland Europe who could receive payments.
'When You Cross, They Transfer to Me'
An undercover researcher, posing as a migrant attempting to cross the Channel illegally with his child, visited a migrant camp in Dunkirk known as "the jungle." The camp is a sparsely vegetated area beside a road and railway line where many migrants live in tents before attempting crossings. At the time of the visit, parts of the camp were flooded following weeks of rain.
Within minutes of arrival, men approached the researcher, apparently soliciting for rival gangs. Contact was made with two separate smugglers.
One tout introduced the researcher to a smuggler named Zia, who claimed he could book a place on a small boat crossing, referred to by smugglers as the "game." Zia stated that money exchange shops in the UK could accept payments for the crossing but did not specify which ones.
"In London, they don't give you a receipt. They call me to say [they've] got the money. When you cross, they transfer to me."
The second tout provided the phone number of Ahmad, a smuggler operating out of northern France for over five years. Ahmad, speaking Farsi and identifying as Afghan, told the undercover researcher that payments could be made through one of three UK businesses, including the Woolwich shop Afg Mobile Repair.
The crossing fee was quoted as £2,700 for two people.
Back in the UK, the BBC visited the south-east London phone shop on three occasions, secretly recording conversations with two shop workers. An undercover researcher posed as a UK-based family member of a migrant attempting the crossing.
One worker explained from behind the counter that funds would only be transferred to smugglers after a successful crossing.
"If your people do not cross, if he tells me to return your money back to you, I'll do it,"
he said, while acknowledging the crossing was not guaranteed safe.
"You can't count on boats, you never know, God forbid the boat sinks, and all of them [drown]."
When confronted later, the man denied involvement in moving money for people smugglers.
"We don't move money… we have only phone shop,"
he stated.
All three UK firms investigated, including the mobile phone shop, are registered at Companies House, the UK government's official business registry. The BBC verified that Ahmad provided accurate bank details for the Newcastle and Cambridgeshire companies.
Keatinge from RUSI's Centre for Finance and Security commented that smugglers appear undeterred by government efforts to dismantle their operations.
The UK government has prioritized disrupting the financial model of people-smuggling gangs. In January 2025, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced sanctions against suspected smugglers, stating:
"If you're going to smash a gang that is driven by money, follow the money."
Despite this, authorities have struggled to recover the millions generated annually by smuggling before it exits the UK.
In April, two people smugglers were jailed in Cardiff for organizing the illegal entry of hundreds of migrants, but authorities traced little of their profits. The National Crime Agency (NCA) reported that the pair had minimal UK assets and most funds were transferred to Iraq.
According to Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) data obtained by the BBC, only 10% of money earned by convicted people smugglers since 2020 has been recovered.
During this period, courts ruled that 45 convicted smugglers made over £16 million in criminal benefit. However, confiscation orders totaled only £2.9 million based on identifiable assets, with £1.6 million recovered as of February.
The CPS emphasized that smugglers are motivated solely by profit and that efforts are made to deprive them of earnings
"wherever possible."However, it noted that confiscation orders are limited to assets available at the time.
When contacted by the undercover researcher, Ahmad denied involvement in people smuggling. Zia did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
The owner of the Newcastle wholesale business strongly rejected any suggestion of knowingly or negligently enabling criminal activity and pledged full cooperation with authorities. The Cambridgeshire car wash did not respond to requests for comment.
The NCA continues to prioritize dismantling criminal networks behind people smuggling, dedicating more resources than ever. Deputy Director Dan Cannatella-Barcroft stated there are approximately 100 active investigations targeting top-tier gangs and individuals, adding:
"We are in no doubt that we are making the UK a more difficult place for them to target and operate in."
Migration Minister Mike Tapp MP acknowledged extensive investigative work behind the scenes, including scrutiny of money transfers. Regarding Ahmad's use of UK-registered companies' bank accounts, Tapp expressed interest in the BBC's findings but could not provide details.
He noted that criminal gangs are agile and continuously adapt their methods, emphasizing the importance of keeping pace with these changes and maintaining pressure.
Additional reporting by Victoria Archer.
