Channel smuggling gangs resort to ‘mega-dinghies’ as crackdown limits small boat supply

A recent BBC investigation reveals that people smuggling gangs are increasingly turning to larger vessels, known as "mega-dinghies," to transport migrants across the English Channel. These larger boats are being used in response to the decline in small boat availability due to crackdowns by the UK and French authorities. The image of a 15-meter boat carrying 230 migrants is a testament to this shift, eliciting criticism from newspapers and politicians.

This new strategy comes as gangs face a shortage of small boats and must now transport more migrants on fewer, larger vessels. As a result, the groups are prepared to charge higher fees, with some now quoting up to €2,000 per person, up from €1,300 a year ago. The gangs are also increasingly launching boats during the day due to heightened police patrols, which makes it difficult for them to operate at night.

One such operation was witnessed on Gravelines beach, where migrants emerged from the sand dunes and waited in orderly fashion to be ferried away by a small boat that had been waiting in the water. Despite the precariousness of the journey, many migrants are eager to make the trip, with some hailing from Afghanistan, in pursuit of a better life in the UK.