The Home Office has arrested 60 moped delivery drivers working for major firms on suspicion of working in the UK illegally. The Home Office said the drivers were working for a number of major delivery companies.
Those arrested worked for firms including Deliveroo, JustEats and UberEats. They were arrested across London and the South for offences including illegal working and possession of false documentation.
The government department said that the week-long crackdown led to the seizure of items suspected of being linked to criminal activity. They included imitation firearms, weapons and more than £4,500 in cash.
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “Illegal working damages our communities, cheats honest workers out of employment and defrauds the public purse. As the Prime Minister has set out, we are committed to going further and faster to prevent the abuse of our laws and borders.
“The British public deserve a labour market that is fair and honest and must have confidence that goods and services they buy are from legitimate businesses.”
Of those arrested, 16 were released on immigration bail. The remaining 44 were detained by the Home Office, pending their removal from the UK. The department said he believed the arrests would lead to voluntary departure from the UK. The arrests were made between April 16 and April 21.
Eddy Montgomery, director of enforcement, compliance and crime at Immigration Enforcement, said: “By raising awareness of the risks and consequences of illegal working, we are helping ensure businesses are complying with the rules. Our enforcement teams are working around the clock to deter immigration offending and change behaviours that compromise public safety.”
Employers can be jailed for five years and pay an unlimited fine if they are found guilty of employing someone they knew or had “reasonable cause to believe” did not have the right to work in the UK.
