Kent Police arrests multiple suspects in immigration crime crackdown
Kent Police says a fortnight of focused enforcement activity in Kent has led to the arrest of multiple suspects linked to organised immigration crime.
Kent Police announced the arrests via social media, stating that concentrated enforcement over a two-week period had targeted organised immigration crime networks operating in or through the county. The force did not disclose the total number of people arrested, their identities, the locations involved, the specific alleged offences, or whether any of those arrested have since been charged.
The announcement follows a separate, documented operation led by the National Crime Agency in January 2026, in which Kent Police played a supporting role alongside the Metropolitan Police Service and Port of Dover Police. That operation resulted in five arrests after a lorry carrying 23 people was stopped as it approached the Port of Dover, following surveillance conducted on 26 and 27 January 2026. The NCA said all five were afterwards charged with conspiring to help illegal immigration.
The 23 people found in the lorry were reported by the NCA to be Bangladeshi nationals. One was arrested for immigration offences. The remaining 22 were released after being found to be in the UK legally, according to the NCA. The lorry had been loaded near Whitstable before travelling towards Dover.
It is not clear from the Kent Police announcement whether the arrests it refers to are connected to the NCA lorry investigation or form part of a distinct enforcement operation. Kent Police has not published further operational details at this stage.
Arrest does not mean that a person has been charged or convicted of any offence. Organised immigration crime covers offences including enabling illegal immigration and people smuggling. The National Crime Agency has previously stated that organised crime groups exploit vehicles and transport routes to move people, and that those being transported are frequently placed in dangerous conditions.
Source: @kent_police
Published: 22 October 2026