Northern Ireland has become the focus of a major operation targeting criminal gangs involved in people smuggling, with hundreds of individuals detained while attempting to enter Great Britain from Ireland.
The operation forms part of a UK government effort to dismantle networks facilitating illegal migration.
Criminal gangs are reportedly charging up to €8,000 for illicit travel packages, which are marketed as safer alternatives to crossing the English Channel in small boats.
These routes exploit the Common Travel Area (CTA), which permits free movement between the UK and Ireland for British and Irish citizens without requiring passports.
The detentions are part of Operation Comby, a UK Home Office initiative launched in April to bolster routine immigration enforcement under the long-standing Operation Gull, which is conducted in collaboration with Ireland’s Garda Síochána.
While the CTA is intended to facilitate travel for citizens of both countries, it has faced criticism for being exploited by irregular migrants seeking alternative routes into the UK or Ireland. Northern Ireland, in particular, is viewed as a “backdoor” for migration into the Republic of Ireland.
This week, a focused three-day campaign under Operation Comby saw arrests at key transit points, including ports and airports in Northern Ireland, Manchester, Liverpool, Holyhead, and Cairnryan.
On Tuesday, Home Office officials apprehended four individuals attempting to board ferries or planes in Belfast. Among them was an Iranian national who had reportedly travelled from Barcelona to Dublin using a false Ukrainian identity.
He was intercepted at Belfast Airport by immigration enforcement officers as he approached the boarding gate.
