Nine men have been arrested in the UK in the biggest ever crackdown on people smuggling and trafficking.

A 27-year-old suspect was detained in Wandsworthsoutheast Londonand a 52-year-old man in Kent.

Officials of the National Crime Agency arrest warrants carried out on behalf of Interpol throughout lancashire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Greater ManchesterWest Yorkshire and Northern Ireland in the week to October 4.

Twenty-seven people, including 21 children, were intercepted in Tunisia while trying to travel to the United Kingdom.

A 32-year-old Syrian man, detained in Nottingham and loved by RomaniaHe is accused of transporting immigrants from Bulgaria to Romania, and then traveling to the Netherlands.

The other eight are wanted for crimes of human trafficking, human trafficking or modern slavery in France, Germany, Belgium and Romania.

Extradition proceedings for the nine suspects are ongoing.

In addition to the United Kingdom, a total of 116 countries participated in the operation and 2,517 arrests were made around the world as part of Operation Liberterra II.

NCA Deputy International Director Rick Jones said: “This Interpol operation is an excellent example of our commitment to working closely and effectively with international partners to tackle people smuggling and trafficking.

“We use a range of our specialist capabilities to collect and disseminate intelligence to law enforcement agencies around the world, and to enable our officers to identify, locate and apprehend criminals wanted overseas.

“As a result, nine people wanted in connection with serious crimes have been removed from our communities and extradition proceedings are underway to ensure they face justice.”

An NCA international liaison officer was seconded to Interpol’s coordination unit in Skopje, North Macedonia, to facilitate intelligence sharing around the world.