Last year 78 migrants died in attempted crossings on the English canal from France to Great Britain. A total of 600 boats had made the intersection, resulting in 36,000 migrants to Great Britain, said the head of the authority to combat migrant smuggling, Xavier Delrieu.
The number of migrants that reached the British island on the English canal was 24 percent more than in the previous year.
View boats of poor quality often
The boats – often hose boats – often capsized because they are of poor quality, said Delriieu. “The material is purchased in China and delivered in workshops in Turkey. The finished boats, which are often assembled and provided with a motor, are then stored in Germany and brought there if necessary, “he said. Behind it were often Iraqi Kurdish tugboats involving Afghan tractors.
Often there are also panic on board because the boats are overloaded. “The tugboats first left those who paid the most, the other migrants must be on the edge,” said Delriieu. The price for a crossing fluctuates depending on the financial situation of the migrants. People from Afghanistan and Iraq paid around 1,500 euros, Vietnamese previously 3000 euros.
Tugs use violence against refugees
If the weather was stormy and the migrants were afraid to go on the boats, the tugboats started violence. “Sometimes they touch sticks,” said Delrieu. Since a change in the law in January 2024, such a threat to life with the prison conditions for up to 15 years has been punished for the tractors and up to 20 years for the organizers.
Last year, 22 tugboats were taken, which organized crossings on the English canal. 180 suspects came into police detention. The number of migrants that cross in small boats via the English canal in Great Britain has increased considerably since 2018.
According to him, more than 4,000 tractors were arrested in France last year, including 500 in the French overseas areas. These include tugboats that provide 100 to 200 euros in their car for individual people on the border with Italy.
Source: Krone
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