I Visited a Camp Where Migrants Planned to Reach the UK One Detail Shocked Me
A team from the Daily Express recently visited a migrant camp on the outskirts of Dunkirk and said they were surprised by what they found. During their investigation, they secretly sent a reporter into the camp pretending to be a migrant who wanted to travel illegally to the UK. According to the team, it did not take long before people connected to small-boat crossings began offering help and discussing ways to get to Britain.
Speaking on the Daily Expresso podcast, Investigations Editor Zak Garner-Purkis described what he witnessed inside the camp. He said that after their undercover reporter had entered the site, he and a producer walked around to see what was happening openly. They approached people who appeared to be selling items to migrants and were shocked by how little effort was made to hide what they were doing.
Zak said he confronted a man he believed was selling drugs and directly asked him about it. Rather than denying it, the man simply acknowledged it without showing any concern. The team also approached people selling life jackets, but they claimed the sellers showed no fear or hesitation despite operating in public view.
According to the investigation, several men believed to be connected to a Kurdish trafficking network were running a makeshift marketplace inside the camp. There, migrants could buy supplies before attempting the dangerous journey across the English Channel. Among the items being sold were life jackets that reporters believed looked unsuitable for such a risky crossing. Cannabis was also reportedly being sold openly in the area.
The investigation suggested that migrants arriving at the camp could quickly make arrangements for a small-boat crossing. Reporters claimed that within around 20 minutes of arriving, it was possible to speak to people connected to the crossing network and discuss travel plans to Britain. What made this even more surprising to the journalists was that the camp was reportedly located within sight of French police officers.
As they spent more time at the camp, the atmosphere reportedly became more hostile. The journalists said it became clear that some people inside the camp did not want them there. According to their account, objects were thrown at them as they prepared to leave. They said rocks were hurled in their direction, while a producer narrowly avoided being hit by a mango. A full can of Coca-Cola was also reportedly thrown toward the team.
Zak said the experience highlighted how openly some activities appeared to be taking place inside the camp and left him shocked by what he witnessed. The investigation has renewed concerns about people-smuggling operations, illegal crossings, and the conditions inside migrant camps near the French coast.
Responding to the findings, a Home Office spokesperson said the UK Government remains committed to targeting and dismantling people-smuggling gangs. The spokesperson said the National Crime Agency currently has more than 100 active investigations into smuggling networks and that arrests, convictions, and seizures have increased significantly this year.
The Home Office also pointed to cooperation between the UK and France, saying joint efforts have led to hundreds of suspected smugglers being arrested. Officials added that tens of thousands of migrants have been prevented from crossing the English Channel since the current government took office, and they insisted that work will continue to disrupt criminal gangs that profit from illegal migration.
