Exclusive: Three arrested after 20 migrants found concealed on board luxury vessel bound for the South Coast
Three Albanian nationals have been arrested on suspicion of people smuggling after Border Force officials discovered 20 migrants hidden aboard a yacht attempting to enter Britain illegally.
The operation unfolded on Sunday when a sizeable luxury yacht, suspected to have set sail from Brest, France, was intercepted in the English Channel en route to Newquay on the South Coast. Acting on intelligence, Border Force officers boarded the vessel and uncovered 20 individuals concealed below deck — 19 men and one woman, all believed to be Albanian nationals.
The Home Office has confirmed that all 20 have been detained and are facing removal from the UK in accordance with immigration enforcement procedures.
One of the suspects, Bleda Bega, aged 44, has been formally charged with “facilitation of illegal entry” under the Immigration Act. He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Bodmin Law Courts later this week.
Two other Albanian men were also arrested in connection with the case. One has been released from the criminal investigation but remains in immigration detention, having been found to be in the UK illegally. The other remains under investigation, and enquiries are ongoing.
The interception was not reflected in Sunday’s official small boat figures, as the incident involved a larger maritime vessel rather than inflatable dinghies or other typical small craft. However, the episode underscores the increasing diversity of smuggling tactics employed by criminal networks.
Government statistics released on Monday revealed that there were no small boat crossings on April 13. Nevertheless, on the day prior — Saturday — 11 boats carrying a total of 656 people crossed the Channel, marking the highest single-day total of 2025 so far.
Provisional figures for 2025 indicate that more than 8,000 migrants have already arrived in the UK via small boat crossings in the first four months of the year. This figure represents a 46% increase compared to the same period in 2024, when 5,517 individuals had made the journey. The figure is also 65% higher than during the same period in 2023.
A Home Office spokesperson described the latest arrest as evidence of their commitment to cracking down on criminal smuggling operations.
“The people-smuggling gangs do not care whether the vulnerable individuals they exploit live or die — their only concern is profit. We are determined to dismantle their networks and bring them to justice,” the spokesperson said.
They added that the Government’s new immigration plan includes tougher enforcement powers, increased removal operations, and a broader crackdown on illegal working — all aimed at deterring people from paying smugglers to reach the UK.
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“Our Border Force teams remain ever vigilant, employing state-of-the-art surveillance and maritime technology to detect and intercept illegal attempts to reach our shores. Anyone involved in such activities can expect arrest, prosecution, and a custodial sentence,” the spokesperson added.
The arrests come amid rising concerns that smugglers are adapting their tactics in response to greater scrutiny of traditional routes. With inflatable dinghies frequently intercepted, smugglers appear to be experimenting with more discreet and luxurious-looking vessels to avoid detection.
The use of a large yacht — often associated with legitimate tourism or private travel — is likely to prompt further scrutiny of pleasure craft arriving from continental Europe, particularly those departing from known smuggling hotspots such as northern France.
The Home Office has reiterated its call for close cooperation with European partners to tackle smuggling operations at their source and disrupt the “false promise of jobs” that traffickers use to lure vulnerable individuals into paying large sums for illegal crossings.
