Police have arrested 11 people in the UK after overnight raids, as part of a Europe-wide investigation into people smuggling.
Those arrested were detained in London, Birmingham and Gateshead. They are alleged to be part of an organised crime gang that used vehicles with secret compartments to transport people to the UK.
A further 15 people were arrested in Bulgaria and Belgium during raids at the same time.
Some 200 officers took part in the operation, which was led by the Home Office and codenamed Halifax.
People being smuggled are thought to have been mainly from Afghanistan along with Pakistan and Vietnam.
The gang allegedly used specially adapted vans and trucks to travel across Europe into Britain.
