Two suspected Albanian gangsters were carrying a gun with a silencer as they attempted to enter Britain in the back of a lorry.
The men – who have not been named – were arrested by French police in Calais on Friday as the vehicle they were in prepared to board a ferry.
‘One was carrying a handgun with a silencer attached,’ said an investigating source. ‘Firearms officers made the arrests without anyone getting hurt.
‘There are fears the men might be gangsters who intended to meet up with other Albanian underworld figures in Britain.’
Patrick Leleu, the Boulogne deputy prosecutor, confirmed three arrests, including the lorry driver.
Mr Leleu said two investigations had been launched – one for the possession of a prohibited weapon and another concerning the driver only, for aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
The English Channel illegal migration route has frequently been linked with Albanians.
Many claim they are asylum seekers, despite the Balkan country being categorised as a safe place to live.
The men – who have not been named – were arrested by French police in Calais on Friday as the vehicle they were in prepared to board a ferry (Stock image of lorry in Port of Calais)
Albanian gangs are often linked with organised crime in the UK, including vice, burglary, and smuggling.
In January, a group of Albanian men admitted a spate of multi-million-pound raids on mansions, including homes belonging to Premier League footballers.
Police recovered a picture of one of the burglars defiantly posing with a gun, and wads of stolen cash and jewellery.
Albanian gangs are also heavily involved in people-smuggling and are known to offer services to criminals looking to flee the UK.
Last year, Albanian migrants boasted on TikTok about being put up in taxpayer-funded hotels.
One video showed men bragging about making it to the UK after paying £3,000 to cross the Channel.
The number of Albanians entering Britain via the Channel route spiked in 2022, with more than 17,000 individuals applying for asylum.
By 2024, that had fallen to below 3,000, according to Migration Observatory analysis of Home Office numbers in October.
