Dangerous life jackets set for small boat crossings seized

Hundreds of dangerous life jackets destined to be worn by migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats have been seized, according to the National Crime Agency (NCA).

Criminal gangs had planned to use the 600 jackets while smuggling people into the UK.

The NCA said they did not meet UK or EU safety standards and would not have served as adequate flotation aids in deep water.

Jacque Beer, an NCA investigations lead, added that the life jackets “would not have provided protection in the sea, and they would only have been used to dupe those paying for crossings into thinking they were safe when they were not”.

The shipment was discovered on a lorry in Zwolle, in the Netherlands, after Dutch border officers intercepted it on Monday.

Some of the seized life jackets were found to be in children’s sizes.

Local authorities are now investigating the lorry’s 23-year-old driver, who was arrested on suspicion of offences related to people smuggling, the NCA said.

It added that the shipment had been initially sent to Italy after it was purchased, before being transported to the Netherlands.

The NCA said the seizure came as the result of a joint operation with Dutch and Italian authorities, as well as the UK Border Force.

“There is no doubt that this unsuitable equipment had been acquired by criminal networks who intended to use it for small boat crossings,” Mr Beer, the agency’s regional head of investigations, said.

He added that the fact some had been in children’s sizes showed “the callous nature of those involved” in migrant smuggling.

“Tragically, we have seen only recently how they don’t care about risking the lives of those they transport.”

The seizure comes a week after six children and a pregnant woman were among 12 people who died after a boat carrying dozens of migrants sank off the French coast, in the English Channel.

It was the deadliest loss of life in the Channel this year.

Prior to the incident, 30 people had already died crossing the body of water in 2024 – the highest figure for any year since 2021, when 45 deaths were recorded, according to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration.