Yacht carrying nine Iraqi nationals rescued in Brixham
The RNLI spotted them getting into difficulty near Barry Head
Nine people from Iraq have been rescued off the coast of Devon.
The RNLI spotted them getting into difficulty near Barry Head on Tuesday 17th September.
They were then taken into custody and their cases will be dealt with according to immigration rules.
A Home Office spokesperson said:
“We all want to see an end to dangerous small boat crossings, which undermine our border security and put lives at risk.
“As we have seen with so many recent devastating tragedies in the Channel, the people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.
“We are making progress, bolstering our personnel numbers in the UK and abroad. Our new Border Security Command will strengthen our global partnerships and enhance our efforts to investigate, arrest, and prosecute these evil criminals.”