Jess Parker sees 'huge collection' of confiscated items in secret warehouse

Germany has carried out its first raids under new laws to crack down on smugglers using the country as a small boat crossing post in the EnglishChannel, the BBC has learned. More than 9000 life jackets, dozens of boats and engines as well as 360 pumps were seized by police this spring during a joint operation involving Britain, France and Germany in the Rhine-Westphalia North region. Illustration.

The Boat and equipment are now stored in secret locations to which the BBC has been given special access. The boat could have been carrying more than 2000 migrants crossing the British Channel illegally, according to the British NationalCrimeAgency. Gangshave long used garages or warehouses to store equipment in western Germany before transporting it to northern France, but Berlin passed a law last December making it a special criminal offense to facilitate the smuggling of migrants to England.

Illustration. Previously, the main anti-smuggling law in Germany only applied to countries within the EU's free movement zone, not to third countries, including post-BrexitBritain. Thousands oflife jackets, covered in plastic wrap, were confiscated byGermanauthorities in the spring

Raids have occurred in Germany before, although they were often based on French or Belgian warrants.

Illustration. In2024, Germany said it would tighten its laws to make it easier to prosecute those who help transport migrants to Britain, as part of a new plan agreed by the two countries. Thisfollows a BBC investigation that revealed the country's role in the small ship supply chain.

The German Interior Ministry confirmed that the raid marked the first time enforcement action had been taken under the new law, but did not confirm whether the law had been applied more than once. The BBC was able to see the results at an undisclosed police warehouse in westernGermany. The stash has been stored until found.

Theboats, which officials said were about9m (29ft), had been deflated and were mostly packed in cardboard boxes. InJune, when TheNational Crime Agency first revealed that the raid had taken place, it estimated the equipment could carry more than 2.000 people across the Straits - which is about 65 people per boat. This number is less than the number of large boats seen this summer, but is in line with recent averages and the general trend of increasing passenger numbers.