A SUDANESE national has been charged following the deaths of four migrants attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats.
The National Crime Agency said Alnour Mohamed Ali has been charged with endangering life following the deaths of two men and two women on Thursday.
It’s alleged that the 27-year-old piloted the boat which travelled from France to the UK on the morning of April 9.
The four victims had tried to board a water taxi off the coast of Saint Etienne au Mont, south of Boulogne-sur-Mer near Calais.
Using water taxis is becoming an increasingly common practice by smugglers in order to avoid detection from police.
It’s believed that 74 illegal migrants sailed to the UK while 38 people were returned to the French shore.
Ali was arrested at a processing centre in Kent on suspicion of endangering another during a journey by sea to the UK under the new Border, Security, Asylum and Immigration Act.
Ali will appear at Folkestone Magistrates’ Court today.
Craig Turner, NCA Deputy Director, said: “Working with colleagues at home and abroad, we are determined to do all we can to identify and bring to justice those responsible for these four tragic deaths.”
Minister for Migration and Citizenship Mike Tapp said: “Every death in the Channel is a tragedy. Our experienced law enforcement teams will continue working relentlessly with international partners to prevent these perilous journeys and bring those responsible to justice.
“Through our Border Security Act, officers now have stronger powers to act earlier and disrupt, intercept and take down the operations of criminal smuggling gangs who bring illegal migrants to our shores.”
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