People smugglers’ yacht that offered £13,500-a-head ‘premium’ service to asylum seekers desperate to get into UK could be yours as it goes up for auction
A luxury yacht used by people smugglers to run a "premium" Channel crossing service, reportedly charging asylum seekers up to £13,500 per head to reach the UK, has been seized and is now being put up for auction. The sale reflects ongoing UK law enforcement efforts to disrupt organised smuggling networks by targeting the vessels and assets used to profit from illegal crossings, rather than relying solely on prosecutions.
The yacht had allegedly been marketed to migrants as a safer, more comfortable alternative to the small boats typically used for Channel crossings, with smugglers charging a steep premium for the supposedly higher-end service. Authorities confiscated the vessel as part of a crackdown on the smuggling operation, and it will now be sold at auction, with proceeds expected to go towards recovering costs linked to the criminal enterprise.
- Smugglers' yacht offering £13,500 "premium" Channel crossings goes to auction
- Vessel seized from people-smuggling operation targeting asylum seekers
- Part of wider crackdown on organised gangs profiting from illegal crossings