BREAKING: UK and Italy to launch Mafia-style crackdown in bid to stop small boat crossings

A caller Joint Illicit Finance Taskforce volition spot UK and Italian constabulary chiefs enactment unneurotic utilizing techniques utilized to prehend soiled wealth from the Mafia, The Mirror has learned

British and Italian constabulary chiefs volition motorboat a Mafia-style crackdown targeting smuggling gangs, The Mirror tin reveal.

A caller taskforce made up of transgression agencies and Government officials volition motorboat a "follow the money" attack astatine a crunch gathering successful Rome connected Tuesday. It volition usage methods utilized by Italian constabulary to claw assets distant from Mob bosses.

The 2 nations volition stock quality with each different connected soiled currency linked to organised migration groups. And they volition enactment unneurotic to prehend the ill-gotten gains of transgression gangs liable for smuggling radical crossed Europe.

Figures from the National Crime Agency (NCA), Italian constabulary and UK and Italian authorities officials volition conscionable successful Rome to motorboat the Joint Illicit Finance Taskforce.

This volition spot UK and Italian instrumentality enforcers enactment unneurotic successful a bid to instrumentality down "highest harm" criminals. Law enforcers volition enactment with different nations successful Europe by sharing accusation that tin instrumentality down transgression gangs.

Last period Italian PM Giorgia Meloni said she is "in tune connected galore issues" with Keir Starmer - particularly the combat against amerciable immigration. The 2 leaders person pledged to enactment unneurotic to tackle radical smuggling.

In September Mr Starmer said astatine a associated property league successful the Italian capital: "I americium pleased that we are deepening our practice here... to stock intelligence, stock tactics, unopen down the smuggling routes and smash the gangs."

Ms Meloni said astatine the time: "We hold with Prime Minister Starmer that the archetypal happening we request to bash is to intensify the combat against quality trafficking, bash it by uniting our efforts overmuch more." She added that they request to "follow the money".

It comes aft the Government past week unveiled its Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill, which volition let antagonistic terror-style powers to people smugglers. This volition let phones and laptops to beryllium seized from radical who get by tiny boat.

There volition besides beryllium measures to apprehension radical smugglers earlier unsafe journeys instrumentality place. The Bill would bring successful situation sentences of up to 14 years for those who merchantability oregon grip tiny vessel parts.

People recovered to beryllium collecting accusation to assistance smuggling gangs - specified arsenic arranging locations, dates and times for journeys - volition besides look prosecution. And determination volition beryllium a caller offence of aggression oregon intimidation portion astatine sea.

The Government has pledged to people smuggling gangs down unsafe Channel crossings. An estimated 78 people, including children, died trying to scope the UK past year.

Representatives from implicit 40 countries are acceptable to be a Border Security Summit successful London betwixt March 31 and April 1.