Three Afghans convicted in Belgium of involvement in a migrant smuggling ring have been arrested in the UK and will soon be extradited, the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) announced on Monday.
The three men, all in their 20s, were arrested this month on different dates in London, Hertfordshire (north of London) and Essex (east of London), the NCA said in a statement.
Last month, a court in Antwerp sentenced them in their absence to between three and ten years in prison and a €3,000 fine. 20 other members of the same smuggling network also received prison sentences.
According to Belgian authorities, the three men were responsible for organising the transport of migrants from Afghanistan, via Iran, Turkey and the Balkans to France and Belgium.
"Many of them eventually boarded small boats in northern France bound for the UK, and the network is suspected of having transported thousands of people in the same way," the NCA said.
Members of the network also raped and sexually assaulted young migrant minors, filming their actions to coerce the victims into committing criminal acts, it added.
The extradition process for the three Afghans arrested in the UK has been launched so that they can serve their sentences in Belgium.
