Undercover journalist crosses Channel by migrant dinghy in exclusive documentary

Watchman UK reporter Christian Drojan crossed the English Channel in a migrant inflatable dinghy alongside Isabel Oakeshott, Talk's international editor, to document the people-smuggling network. The UK Home Office called the stunt reckless and said it hampered police work.

## A journalist crossed the Channel in a migrant dinghy
British undercover journalist **Christian Drojan** crossed the **English Channel** in a migrant inflatable dinghy, becoming the first reporter to do so. He made the crossing with **Isabel Oakeshott**, Talk's international editor, and with Watchman UK. The journey set off from France and arrived in the United Kingdom. The investigation aimed to document from the inside the people-smuggling network operating in northern France.

Drojan spent weeks infiltrating those networks on the other side of the Channel. He posed as a British fugitive incivil trying to return to the UK undetected. He lived on the streets and in migrant camps, recording a smuggling infrastructure that moves millions. According to the investigation, the chain runs from the initial contact with organised gangs advertising on TikTok to the "jungles" of Dunkirk and Calais.

## A forbidden crossing and the network it documented
Oakeshott described the project as the culmination of a year of fieldwork and intelligence gathering. She said no reporter had attempted such a mission because it is extraordinarily difficult and dangerous. Discovering the truth of what happens in the Channel is not possible from the safety of the beaches, she added. Nor can a politician do it, or someone waving a notebook or a camera. The only way is to go undercover.

Watchman Investigations, in partnership with **Talk**, presents the work as a way to get to the truth of the country's biggest political problems. The footage shows drug use in the camps, chaotic scenes and women trapped in overcrowded inflatable boats. Heavily armed gendarmes also appear pointing their weapons at migrants and smugglers. **Drojan** argued that the findings raise questions about the inability of the French and British authorities. "I risked my life for this investigation, and its findings have only strengthened my scepticism about the system," he said. For him, truth is the most effective weapon and this work must be done.

## The official response: 40% more officers and 47,000 crossing attempts stopped
A Home Office spokesperson described the journalist's actions as reckless. According to the spokesperson, they made it harder for officers to stop small-boat crossings and save lives in dangerous conditions. The partnership with France is stronger than ever, the spokesperson said, with a new agreement signed by the Home Secretary that means a **40%** increase in the number of officers on the ground.

The same spokesperson said both countries are stepping up pressure on incivil gangs and preventing illegal and dangerous crossings. Since the election, more than **1,100** boats or engines have been seized, **47,000** crossing attempts have been prevented, and the number of small-boat crossings has fallen. Journalism does not replace the authorities: any assessment of legal or immigration responsibility requires verifying the facts with the relevant bodies.