Highlights
- Two Romanian women were identified as possible victims of people trafficking.
- Four Romanian nationals were arrested at Belfast Port after counterfeit Apple products worth £130,000 were found.
- More than 250 arrests have been made under Operation Comby since the election.
- Almost £500,000 in cash has been seized during the operation.
IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT made 49 arrests between September 22 and 24 as officers targeted suspected organised immigration crime across Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales.
The operation focused on ports, airports, roads and rail networks used by people trying to enter the UK by travelling from the Republic of Ireland.
Among those arrested were two Romanian women at Belfast International Airport who had travelled from Ireland to Northern Ireland without the required permission.
The Home Office said further checks identified the women as possible victims of people trafficking.
It said intelligence was obtained about the criminals who had "pushed them into the journey".
One woman was detained for removal to Romania, while the other voluntarily returned to Ireland.
The operation also led to the arrest of four Romanian nationals at Belfast Port after police stopped their vehicle following intelligence sharing.
Officers searching the vehicle found counterfeit Apple products worth £130,000, according to the Home Office. All four were arrested and face removal from the UK.
More than 250 arrested since operation began
The arrests were made under Operation Comby, a multi-agency operation targeting organised criminals and immigration offenders who exploit the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland.
The Home Office said the operation has resulted in more than 250 arrests since the election, with 113 people removed from the UK. It has also led to the seizure of almost £500,000 in cash.
The Common Travel Area allows British and Irish citizens to move freely between the UK and Ireland. The government says criminal groups are exploiting the arrangement to help people circumvent UK immigration rules.
Minister for Border Security and Asylum Anna Turley said the government was targeting gangs that operated through "wicked lies and deception".
"Individuals who think they can get round our laws will quickly find out that they will not be successful," she said.
Turley said the operation showed Immigration Enforcement's "round the clock work" to disrupt criminal gangs and remove people with no right to be in the UK.
Nearly 1,000 arrests in Northern Ireland
Operation Comby works alongside Operation Gull, which carries out regular checks at Northern Irish ports and airports.
The Home Office said Operation Gull had resulted in almost 1,000 arrests in the last year.
Between July 2024 and June 2026, Immigration Enforcement carried out almost 3,000 enforcement visits in Northern Ireland, resulting in more than 2,400 arrests.
Nearly 1,000 people were subsequently returned, including almost 500 to Ireland.
Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance and crime, said Operation Comby was using intelligence to target organised immigration crime networks.
"Immigration crime can take many forms," he said, "but at the heart of what we do is protecting vulnerable people and ensuring the criminal gangs who exploit them are brought down."
The crackdown comes amid a 74 per cent rise in arrests for organised immigration crime, according to the Home Office.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also announced plans to double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028/29 and increase its workforce by 60 per cent.
The government said the changes would support tens of thousands more raids, arrests and removals of people who have no right to remain in the UK.
