A 50-year-old man from Croydon has been charged with smuggling Sri Lankan immigrants into the UK.
Chubramaniam Vignarajah of Aurelia Road, was one of 18 people arrested in a series of international raids by immigration and police ,which included addresses in London, Luton and Essex on Wednesday.
Mr Vignaraha has been charged with conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration along with two other men from Hayes and Northold. Two other suspects were charged with the same offence yesterday.
Six other people arrested during the raids have been bailed until July, pending further enquiries.
A spokesperson for the Home Office said the arrests were a culmination of a joint investigation into an alleged criminal network that is believed to assist Sri Lankan illegal immigrants trying to enter the UK.
The operation involved Home Office Immigration Enforcement investigators, Kent Police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) as well as Europol and French and German law enforcement agencies.
As police raided address in the UK, raids were also carried out in France and Germany. Seven people were also arrested in France.
- Agencies
