Authorities at the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) on Saturday announced that a 27-year-old Sudanese man had been arrested in connection with the Thursday drowning deaths of four migrants in the English Channel.
The NCA says the man was arrested for endangering the lives of others during a journey to the UK by sea — a crime defined and put into law earlier this year as part of a new UK border security legislation package.
Authorities say the man was involved in illegally ferrying migrants across the Channel from France.
Police detained and arrested him in Manston, Kent, where he is being questioned.
How did the migrant Channel drownings occur?
Authorities on both sides of the Channel say the incident for which the man was arrested happened early Thursday morning off Equihen Beach, near Boulogne-sur-Mer, France.
Two men and two women reportedly drowned after failing to successfully wade out to and board a so-called "taxi-boat" that would carry them to the UK. Another 38 migrants had to be pulled from the strong currents of the Channel.
The Sudanese man and more than 70 migrants successfully completed the crossing but were met by UK authorities when they arrived. The survivors will also be questioned by police said the NCA.
The taxi tactic involves drivers in motorized inflatables cruising prearranged pick-up points and migrants running out into the water to board the vessels. It is an approach recently introduced by smugglers in response to French police puncturing inflatable boats attempting to launch from beaches.
French maritime law prohibits authorities from pursuing boats on the water as this could put lives at risk.
French authorities say Thursday's drowning victims were far from shore when they perished, adding that they had been swept away by dangerous currents.
UK and France seek to stop migrant crossings before they start
Authorities in France and the UK say they are focused on stopping such dangerous and illegal crossings before they happen.
The UK Home Office's Mike Tapp, Parliament's minister for migration and citizenship, said, "every death in the Channel is a tragedy."
"Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue working relentlessly with international partners to prevent these perilous journeys and bring those responsible to justice," he added.
Tapp lauded the UK Border Security Act, saying, "officers now have stronger powers to act earlier and disrupt, intercept and take down the operations of criminal smuggling gangs who bring illegal migrants to our shores."
Home Office data indicates that more than 5,000 migrants have reached the UK via the Channel this year.
Attempted crossings have spiked of late, with some 102 migrants rescued during two separate operations on Wednesday, and two drowning deaths off Calais, France, last week.
Edited by: Jenipher Camino Gonzalez
