People smugglers cut price of migrant small boat crossings to 'cater' for poorer nationalities

PEOPLE smugglers have slashed prices to stop migrants from poorer countries storming boats crossing the Channel, intelligence reveals.

- BY MICHAEL KNOWLES Home Affairs Editor

The National Crime Agency warned that a sharp rise in deaths in 2024 was down to asylum seekers “opportunistically” bundling on to dinghies, leading to those on the vessels being crushed.

However, crime kingpins have started “catering” to poorer migrants, mainly from the Horn of Africa, leading to lower “average crossing prices”.

It comes as Border Force fears a surge in arrivals if Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood cannot agree a new funding deal with France.

The NCA revealed: “2025 saw fewer migrant fatalities in the English Channel (27) compared with 2024 (78), highly likely due to intervention by rescue craft, alongside fewer incidents of groups of nonpaying passengers opportunistically storming boats in the water, causing panic and instances of crushing or drowning.

“In order to prevent opportunistic boarding, organised crime groups increasingly catered to lower-paying nationalities in 2025, almost certainly contributing to lower estimated average crossing prices compared with 2024.”