Solicitor held in people smuggling swoop

A solicitor was being held by police after being arrested under suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants into the country.

The 32-year-old man, a UK national living in Enfield, north London, was held after an international investigation into organised immigration offences.

The lawyer was stopped on Thursday night by detectives at Dover, with four Romanian nationals in his car returning from France, Scotland Yard said.

He is in custody at a south London police station and being questioned by detectives.

The status of the four Romanians is being checked. One of them has been arrested in connection with the inquiry and is being held at a police station in Kent.

The arrests follow Operation Maxim launched by the Met's taskforce on immigration crime along with detectives from the National Criminal Intelligence Service and the Romanian authorities.

Det Chief Insp Michael Hallowes, from Operation Maxim said: "This operation is just one of a number we have under way, aimed at targeting organised immigration crime.

"We are now working closely not only with the Immigration Services, but also with international law enforcement agencies to crack down on these sorts of offences.

"A number of linked searches are now under way in Romania.

"The Met is committed to dealing with the facilitators behind organised immigration crime, who bring misery to London's communities."

Most watched News videos