Inside the criminal machine smuggling migrants across the Channel

Crossing the English Channel is an organised incivil business operating with impunity in squalid camps, where humanitarian aid mixes with drug trafficking and police complicity.

## The harsh reality of the camps

Christian, a man who until recently worked in construction, decided to immerse himself in the underworld of illegal immigration. He went undercover in the camps of **Dunkerque** and **Calais** in France, adopting a new identity. He grew a beard, changed his accent and plunged into a hostile environment. He slept surrounded by people smoking sustancia ilegal and by armed individuals, witnessed shootings and heard death threats. Communication with the traffickers took place through platforms such as **TikTok** and **WhatsApp**, a detail that reveals how these incivil networks have modernised.

## The crossing business

What Christian witnessed in these camps was bleak. He found environments crammed with rubbish, rat infestations and easy access to drugs. He observed how some charities, which in theory should have been helping, ended up propping up a dysfunctional system. According to his testimony, police action often amounted to turning a blind eye or superficial interventions that failed to dismantle the operations. The traffickers, for their part, seemed to operate with alarming freedom, directing the flow of people towards the **United Kingdom**.

## The crossing itself

The ultimate goal was to cross the English Channel in an inflatable dinghy. Christian describes the process as chaotic and dangerous. On one attempt, the boat was overcrowded and a police intervention stopped the departure. On another occasion, despite the presence of more than **80 people**, there was only one arrest, and women and children were seen without life jackets. It was even reported that during one rescue, the traffickers themselves were taken in by the French authorities. The crossing, which could last up to **seven hours**, ended with arrival on British soil, where the Border Force, despite its efforts, faces political constraints that hamper its work. Christian went as far as to say: "I have just invaded Great Britain".