London, Yiannis Haniotakis

Anyone who is complicit in facilitating the illegal trafficking of immigrants to the United Kingdom will be in danger of “freeing” his assets, exclusion from the financial system and a ban on entry into the country, based on new powers announced by Foreign Minister David.

Tomorrow, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Commonwealth and Development will impose the first wave of sanctions on gangs involved in the movement of people and promoting irregular migration to the United Kingdom, as well as their associates, such as funders and companies involved in selling equipment for floating means.

This regime will be the first in the world to be dedicated to targeting the illegal movement of people, with the exploitation of vulnerable people from criminals and their networks being one of the main drivers of irregular migration to the United Kingdom.

As the British government warns, immigrants who pay traffickers are also at high risk of working in contemporary slavery in the underlying economy, returning to their country of origin or losing their lives at sea.

Sanctions are intended to disrupt the flow of money and materials – including freezing bank accounts and other assets – which allow organized criminal gangs to facilitate irregular migration to the United Kingdom. Sanctions are designed to reach people who are located anywhere in the world who will be publicly named, making any transaction with them from the British financial system illegal.

The first targets will cover a wide range of violations, from the supply of small vessels used to prevent the Channel to the trafficking of counterfeit passports, as well as intermediaries who facilitate payments through Hawala networks, to the gang leaders themselves.

This regime will complement the new powers for law enforcement principles introduced by the border security bill, asylum and immigration. The sanctions They can be used to target gangs of organized immigration crime and their associates, wherever they are, even where traditional law enforcement approaches and criminal justice cannot reach.

Foreign Minister David Lami said: “For a long time, criminal gangs are filling their corrupt pockets and exploiting the hopes of vulnerable people unpunished as they lead irregular migration to the United Kingdom. We will not accept this status quo. It is our moral duty and a key part of our plan to change to do everything we can to dismantle these gangs and insure our borders. That is why the United Kingdom has created the first worldwide sanctions regime aimed at gangs involved in human trafficking and promoting irregular migration, as well as their associates. From tomorrow, those involved will face the freezing of their assets, the exclusion from the UK financial system and the ban on traveling to the United Kingdom. “

Interior Minister IVET Cooper added: “The new sanctions regime marks a decisive step in our struggle against criminal gangs speculating from human misery. It will allow us to target the assets and businesses of the traffickers wherever they act, cutting off their funding and dismantling their net-piece networks. “