site.btaCustoms Agency Officers Receive Distinctions from UK's National Crime Agency Chief

Seven officers of the Customs Agency have been awarded distinctions by the Director-General of the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA), the Agency said on Friday. They are in recognition of the Agency's effective work in preventing the smuggling of small boats and equipment, as well as effectively countering the trafficking of undeclared currency.

The distinctions were presented at a ceremony in London on June 21 by NCA Director General Graeme Biggar. Customs Agency Director Georgi Dimov, Deputy Director Plamen Pavlov, Stefan Bakalov, head of the Combating Drug Trafficking Department, as well as four other experts from the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate who are actively working on the small boats smuggling received individual distinctions.

"The contribution of the Customs Agency and the Border Police is to prevent the transfer of inflatable small boats, which are used to smuggle migrants across the English Channel," Dimov told journalists after the award ceremony, adding that the Customs Agency has a long-standing relationship at an extremely high level with the NCA.

The British authorities report that the preferred way of illegally transporting migrants from the European Union to the UK across the English Channel is through the use of these types of small inflatable boats, which are designed for a dozen passengers, but which actually carry dozens of migrants at a time. The criminal groups organizing the trafficking buy cheap but poor quality boats manufactured outside the European Union, which often do not meet safety standards. This, together with the overloading of the vessels, is the cause of numerous incidents involving the deaths of those undertaking the dangerous crossing.