Evil smuggling gangs ordering dinghies online from China to ferry migrants across Channel
EVIL gangs are ordering dinghies online from China to ferry migrants across the Channel to the UK.
The National Crime Agency has identified a handful of factories in Shandong province as a major source of boats landing on the south coast.
The craft are being sold on Chinese online marketplace Alibaba.com for a little as £200.
The website says dinghies can be shipped anywhere in the world within a week — amid fears 2023 migrant crossings will hit 80,000.
It boasts small PVC dinghies for £200, 7.5ft fibreglass vessels for £700 to £900 and 25ft inflatable ribs for around £10,000.
The Home Office has held talks with Germany to toughen laws against people smugglers.
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Boats have been tracked arriving in Germany and being driven to France.
Efforts to regulate boat sales in Europe have forced gangs — who charge thousands of pounds for crossings — to rely on Chinese imports instead.
An NCA source said: “There’s an ecosystem with companies providing the bulk of the boats and advertising them online.”