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Exclusive – Investigators are targeting the criminals by going after their finances, their operations by seizing the boats and engines used to smuggle migrants across the Channel and desperately trying to deter asylum seekers by warning they will be deported.<\/p>\n
The Home Office has seen evidence of migrants abandoning attempts to reach the UK because it is \u201ctoo difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n
Officials have described their tactics as trying to make the smugglers\u2019 lives \u201cmore difficult\u201d to block their ability to offer migrants a crossing to the UK.<\/p>\n
This, they hope, will deter more asylum seekers from trying to cross the Channel because they will lose confidence in the criminals\u2019 operations and instead seek refuge elsewhere.<\/p>\n
READ MORE <\/strong> Putin warned as he uses migrant influx ‘weakness’ as weapon to ‘destabilise’ UK<\/strong><\/p>\n A key element of the law enforcement crackdown will be a renewed focus on the smugglers\u2019 profits and fresh attempts to seize their vast profits.<\/p>\n And they want to lock up more of the boats and engines used by traffickers to smuggle migrants into Britain to further hit their cash flows.<\/p>\n Experts believe this could be done at different points along the smuggling route, including the transit hub of Turkey, along the routes used by the criminal gangs and migrants in countries such as Bulgaria, or in France.<\/p>\n Ministers are also considering ramping up social media campaigns in migrants\u2019 home countries to deter them from attempting to cross the Channel, following the success of a similar move in Albania.<\/p>\n A source close to Home Secretary James Cleverly told the Daily Express: \u201cAt every stage whether frustrating and harassing the criminal gangs responsible for this vile trade in human beings, to persuading people who would risk their lives and savings to make this incredibly dangerous crossing, and to removing the sub standard equipment to make such crossings possible, we have already been having an effect.”<\/p>\n \u201cIt is why crossings are down by a third.”<\/p>\n \u201cWe will not stop there but will increase our efforts with all sorts of countries also facing this global problem and on all fronts to make this route unprofitable, impractical and to stop the boats.\u201d<\/p>\n Migrants and smugglers use an ancient payment system known as \u201cHawala\u201d.<\/p>\n This sees a third party pay a \u2018handler\u2019 in the migrants\u2019 home country. This money is then held until the migrant arrives safely at their destination.<\/p>\n The smuggler can collect his money from another handler in the country where he is operating. No physical money is ever exchanged under the \u2018Hawala\u2019 system.<\/p>\n The Daily Express understands detectives are finding it \u201cdifficult to investigate and track transactions\u201d because there is no \u201cactual movement of funds\u201d.<\/p>\n Hayley Pisano, a National Crime Agency Senior Manager, said: \u201cOur officers work closely with UK and international partners to develop intelligence, identify trends and disrupt crime groups who use the hawala system to launder profits.”<\/p>\n\n