Some Albanian migrants are reportedly abandoning the usual dinghy crossings and switching to lorries as people smugglers shift tactics to avoid being caught. According to The Times, the criminal gangs behind the smuggling operations are now disguising their adverts as news stories on social media, with platforms like TikTok being used to lure potential migrants into coughing up eye-watering sums — now around £23,000 for the journey.
While most small boat crossings are intercepted by the UK Border Force, meaning migrants are processed and quickly deported, especially since Albania was declared a safe country in 2023, the back-of-the-lorry route is much harder to track. And that’s exactly what smugglers are banking on, according to the Express.
