Albanian people smugglers have started offering “package deals” to the UK, which include housing and employment after making the small boat crossing.
TikTok has become an unexpected advertising platform for these smugglers who promote crossings for fees as low as £2,500 payable only once the migrant reaches Dover.
The adverts promise “specialised people” who will collect the newcomers, provide them with private accommodation, and secure under-the-table jobs.
The packages are particularly aimed at Albanians looking to spend a few months in the UK to earn substantially more than they could back home.
These criminal networks have also been advising Albanians to exploit the chaotic Christmas period at airports to sneak into the UK using stolen European passports.
In messages seen by The Times, one smuggler offered to fly a migrant and his fiancee to the UK, arrange a rental in London for £1,000 a month, and find “simple work” for a total fee of £12,000.
A TikTok account managed by an Albanian individual based in the UK and operating under the name “Journey to London”, advertised smuggling services using emojis of the Albanian and UK flags, with the caption: “We offer journeys from Albania to England.”
The account promised to secure housing and employment for migrants, though specific details were only to be disclosed upon direct contact. A UK phone number was provided in the adverts but has since been disconnected.
Another stated, “Albanian to UK, do contact us for all the ways to get there”, offering a “secure journey” and “competitive prices”. The ad boasted having “specialised people working on this” and assured “maximum reliability”.
A third guaranteed a “secure crossing 100%”, urging to “start the journey without any delay” and tempting with a “competitive super price for only £2,500 per person. Payment in sterling upon arrival in the UK”.
These adverts are indicative of the strategies employed by Albanian “migrant brokers”, who often act as intermediaries for more sophisticated criminal networks, earning commissions for sourcing customers.
These recruiters are prolific in Albania’s major cities, using hundreds of social media advertisements, predominantly on TikTok, to market these voyages.
The majority of Albanians who pay people smugglers to come to the UK are lured by the prospect of earning significantly more than they can in Albania.
The alarming escalation comes as figures released on Friday show that over 150,000 migrants have made the Channel crossing since records commenced in 2018.
Christmas Day saw over 450 individuals making the perilous Channel crossing, bringing the 2024 total to 35,491 – a 21% rise from 2023, but a 22% drop from 2022.
TikTok has confirmed that it has proactively removed the adverts posted by users. The platform directs users to a website called Stop the Traffik, which provides information about the dangers of human trafficking and smuggling.
A Home Office spokesman condemned told The Times: “These despicable people-smuggling gangs are exploiting vulnerable people by peddling lies on social media and placing them in horrendous conditions, working for next to nothing.”
“Anyone found to be doing this will face severe penalties, and we are working with the National Crime Agency and major social media companies to rapidly remove online adverts promoting dangerous small boat crossings.
“Since July, arrests against illegal working have risen by nearly a third compared to the same time last year, and we have also increased enforced returns by 25%.”
