25 inflatable boats destined for people smugglers seized at East Midlands Airport

Twenty-five inflatable boats believed to have been destined for cross-Channel people-smuggling networks have been seized at East Midlands Airport.

The National Crime Agency said the boats were identified alongside the Home Office Intelligence Team in an air-freight shipment travelling from Turkey to the Netherlands.

The shipment passed through East Midlands Airport, where NCA and Border Force officers intercepted it on Friday 2 October.

Around nine metres long

According to the NCA, each boat measured approximately nine metres.

The agency assessed that each could potentially have been used to carry around 70 people across the Channel.

Based on that estimate, the NCA said the complete shipment could have been used to transport around 1,700 people.

That 1,700 figure is an NCA assessment, rather than a number independently calculated by Keep Updated UK.

Second major seizure this year

The agency said this was the second time in 2026 that a large shipment of small-boat equipment had been intercepted in the UK, but the first such detection involving air freight.

In July, 25 boats and 25 outboard engines were seized from a maritime shipment at Felixstowe which was travelling towards Germany.

The NCA says operations targeting supply chains have resulted in more than 1,600 boats and engines being seized.

Around 100 NCA investigations relating to organised immigration crime are currently ongoing.

Investigation continues

NCA Deputy Director of Investigations Craig Turner said the agency continues to target people and groups involved in supplying boats and engines used for Channel crossings.

The NCA says its latest investigation remains ongoing.

Keep Updated UK will report further developments where they are officially confirmed.

Sources

• National Crime Agency — Boats destined for people smugglers seized at East Midlands Airport, 6 October 2026