Albanian migrants ‘using new smuggling route to UK as alternative to small boats’

Albanian migrants are using a new smuggling route to the UK as an alternative to small boats, according to reports. People smugglers are providing passage in lorries from Santander on the north coast of Spain to Portsmouth for £14,000. The route is being advertised on social media including TikTok using emojis and images of lorries, ferries and landmarks in London. The path means migrants are less likely to be picked up, identified and deported back to Albania. Those crossing the Channel on small boats are taken by Border Force for processing by immigration officials at Manston near Dover with the prospect of being deported after the UK struck a returns deal with Albania last year.