Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) arrested an Egyptian national late on Monday (July 29). The man is suspected of being involved in smuggling migrants from Europe to the UK and specifically linked to the death of a woman in a migrant boat crossing attempt at the weekend.

The French news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) quoted the French maritime authority as saying that the woman’s death appeared to be part of "a new phenomenon of people dying at sea not by drowning [but] by illness or in a crush."

The number of people on board the boats attempting to cross the Channel appears to be increasing. The organization Alarm Phone confirmed that several of the recent incidents in the Channel ending in fatality had as many as 86 people on board a relatively small inflatable dinghy.

Also read: Migrant dies in Channel as crossings continue

Questioned and released on bail

The right-wing GB News channel reported the man is 29 years old. They also said that charities in France had held a vigil for the woman who died. The woman is understood to have been traveling with her family in the hope of reaching the UK.

According to a press statement from the NCA, after the woman died off the French coast, the boat continued its journey to the UK and arrived in Dover carrying about 40 people.

The suspect was arrested in the town of Manston in Kent, stated the NCA press release. "He was questioned on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and bailed pending further enquiries."

NCA Branch Commander Mark Howes confirmed that the NCA continues to work with French authorities to try and ascertain the circumstances that led to the death of the woman, reported to be Syrian.

Also read: One migrant dies in Channel, 71 rescued

'Dangerous crossings'

"This tragedy demonstrates how dangerous these crossings are," said Howes. “Our thoughts are with the family and loved ones of the individual who died. Working with partners we remain determined to do all we can to target, disrupt and dismantle the criminal networks involved in organized immigration crime, and prevent them from exploiting the desperation of others."

The woman’s death was the seventh migrant death in the Channel since July 12. The French maritime authority said that 23 people so far this year have died in migrant boat incidents in the Channel. In 2023, the death toll was recorded as 12.

According to data from the UK authorities, last updated on July 30, 1,010 migrants arrived in Dover in the last week. More than 16,000 have arrived since the beginning of the year.

New government, new strategies

The new Labour government is working on different strategies to try and break the power of the smuggling gangs who operate the Channel crossings. A Home Office released a press statement on July 16 in which they said: "we all want to see an end to the dangerous small boat crossings, which are undermining border security and putting lives at risk."

The new government is setting up a new Border Security Command, which they say will bring together "our intelligence and enforcement agencies, equipped with new counter-terror-style powers and hundreds of personnel stationed in the UK and overseas, to smash the criminal smuggling gangs making millions in profit."

They added that they had already begun the recruitment process for the Border Security Commander and that it was the "first duty of any government to secure its borders."

Also read: The end of the Rwanda plan

With AFP