People Smuggler Boasts He Can Send More Illegal Migrants to the UK After Slashing Prices, and It’s Heartbreaking to See How Much People Are Paying to Risk Their Lives

A people smuggler has openly boasted that the growing migrant crisis across Europe is creating huge opportunities for criminal trafficking gangs to make massive amounts of money in a very short time. According to the trafficker, the surge in migrants has become so profitable that gangs can earn more in just 10 days than they would normally make over an entire year.

People-smuggling networks have reportedly cut their prices in an effort to attract even more migrants hoping to reach Britain and other European countries. On Friday afternoon, the price for crossing the English Channel reportedly dropped to as little as €600 (£513) per person, around £200 cheaper than previous rates. Traffickers believe that lower prices will encourage more people to make the dangerous journey while demand remains high.

The recent crisis in the Spanish territory of Ceuta has been seen by smugglers as a major opportunity. Around 60,000 migrants crossed into the enclave from Morocco, although many have since been returned. Criminal gangs are now trying to persuade some of those migrants to continue their journey towards Britain.

One trafficker told The Telegraph there was “without a doubt” a huge opportunity following the events in Ceuta. He claimed that while Spanish authorities would not be able to locate everyone, his network had already found migrants who wanted to continue travelling north before eventually trying to reach the UK.

The price of other migration routes has also reportedly fallen. A four-day boat journey from Turkey to Italy has dropped by as much as $2,000 (£1,480), making it cheaper for migrants to travel across Europe using smuggling networks.

A reporter posing as a migrant in Ceuta hoping to reach Britain was told by another smuggler that gangs were now reducing prices and arranging trips much faster than before. The trafficker claimed their organisation was expanding its network and could quickly collect migrants and move them towards Britain.

Speaking to GB News, Reform UK’s Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said he had visited Ceuta and spoken directly with several migrants. He claimed some had travelled through the streets, looted shops and frightened local residents during the chaos. Yusuf also said a number of migrants he met told him they had left Morocco with the clear intention of eventually reaching Britain.

Reports also suggest that people in the Middle East, including migrants from countries such as Iran and Afghanistan, believed Spain had opened its borders after seeing dramatic videos online of thousands of migrants swimming into Ceuta. Human trafficking networks operating between Iran, Afghanistan and Turkey reportedly saw a sharp increase in enquiries from people asking about routes into Europe following the crisis.

Another people smuggler admitted that although prices had been lowered, the huge increase in the number of customers more than made up for the discount. He claimed gangs could earn more in just 10 days during situations like this than they would normally make in an entire year because so many more people were willing to pay for their services.

The trafficker said prices were falling across the market after the events in Spain but demand for smugglers helping migrants reach England and other European countries had increased dramatically.

The sudden rise in migrants entering Ceuta came after Spain’s Supreme Court ruled last month that migrants intercepted at sea could not automatically be returned. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez accused criminal trafficking gangs of deliberately twisting the court’s ruling to convince migrants that Spain’s borders had effectively been opened. He said this misleading message spread rapidly through smuggling networks and helped trigger the sudden wave of arrivals.

Sánchez also criticised several European leaders, accusing them of reacting to the crisis with comments that he described as selfish, divisive and driven by misinformation or political interests rather than facts.

In response to the growing pressure, the European Union is expected to hold an emergency meeting next week after Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni temporarily suspended the Schengen travel agreement with Spain. Although Ceuta itself is not part of the Schengen Area, the crisis has raised concerns across Europe about border security and illegal migration.

Reacting to the situation, UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham previously said Britain was offering “what help we can” as European countries continue trying to deal with the rapidly developing migrant crisis.