IMMIGRATION raids saw nine people arrested for working illegally on Scottish fishing vessels, the UK Government has announced.
Operations across ports at Barra, Oban, Fraserburgh, and Mallaig in the final week of July saw five Sri Lankan nationals and four Philippine nationals arrested. The four Philippine nationals have since returned voluntarily to their home country, the Home Office said.
Officers from Immigration Enforcement’s threat response and volume crime unit, working alongside Border Security Command, boarded 34 fishing vessels, responding to reports of modern slavery, labour exploitation, illegal working, and wider criminality between July 26 and 30.
The Home Office said they were supported by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Police Scotland, and the Exploitation and Modern Slavery Team.
Civil penalty notices were issued and the UK Government said that if employers were found to have failed to perform the proper checks they could be liable for fines of up to £60,000 per worker.
Border Security Minister Anna Turley said: “This government is tackling illegal working and ensuring unscrupulous employers are not exploiting vulnerable individuals and undercutting legitimate business.
“That is why in Scotland illegal working visits and arrests were at record levels in 2025, and have more than doubled across the UK since the election.”
Adam San, assistant director of Immigration Enforcement’s threat response and volume crime unit, said: “I want to thank the team of officers who dealt with this operation with professionalism and sensitivity.
“Immigration Enforcement deal with threats across the UK and this is not limited to illegal activity occurring solely on land. These arrests demonstrate our ability to tackle all illegal working, in whatever form it takes.”
The Home Office said Immigration Enforcement had seen a 20% increase on arrests in the first six months of this year compared to the same period in 2025, which it claimed was the most successful year on record for illegal working enforcement activity.
New rules coming into force next month will require companies hiring gig economy and zero hours workers to carry out eligibility tests on employees’ right to work in the UK.
The Immigration Enforcement budget is set to be doubled by the financial year beginning in 2028, under new plans from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood who has also pledged to boost staff numbers by 60%.
