logo
episode-header-image
Mar 2023
27m 42s

The boat smugglers

Bbc World Service
About this episode

The recent rise in migrant boat crossings between France and the UK is being fuelled, in part, by more sophisticated methods gangs are using to source the boats. The criminal gangs now control the production of inflatables, making it possible to significantly increase profits. Sue Mitchell teams up with former British soldier and aid worker, Rob Lawrie, to investigate how boats used in migrant Chanel crossings are sourced and the huge profits being made.

Up next
Yesterday
Stemming the tide in Normandy
<p>Coastal erosion has become a serious problem for many seaside communities, no more so than in Normandy, in north-west France, where rising sea levels, strong tides and stronger storms have swept away homes, sand dunes and beaches. </p><p>Every year the sea here is reclaiming s ... Show More
26m 40s
Nov 24
The Shiralee: D'Arcy Niland's 1955 Australian western
<p>The Shiralee is a 1955 novel by D'Arcy Niland, telling the story of a wandering swagman on a journey through the Australian outback, accompanied by his 10-year-old daughter. It was made into a 1957 film by Ealing Studios, starring Peter Finch, and now it is being brought to th ... Show More
24m 34s
Nov 22
Inside India's war on Maoists
<p>For nearly 60 years, the Indian government has been fighting a violent group of Maoists in the country. They are followers of the late Chinese leader, Mao Zedong and have carried out bombings and killings in different parts of India. Now, the Indian authorities claim to be on ... Show More
26m 29s
Recommended Episodes
Jan 2023
The Boat Smugglers
The recent rise in migrant boat crossings between France the UK is being fuelled in part by the more sophisticated methods gangs are using to source the boats.Last year when they investigated the smuggling gangs for BBC Radio 4, reporter Sue Mitchell and former British soldier an ... Show More
29m 14s
Nov 2021
The English Channel boat tragedy reveals a bigger story
<p>31 people drowned when a boatload of asylum seekers capsized in the English Channel this week.&nbsp; The international community all of a sudden became aware of a crisis on the beaches near Calais in France.&nbsp; People smugglers are loading migrants, looking for a better lif ... Show More
18m 25s
Jun 2018
Europe Is Rejecting Migrant Ships, Shutting Ports
Italy has blocked several ships and ultimately closed its ports to migrant ships. Following this Spain has also blocked ships from disembarking and called on Europe to solve the migrant crisis. Now even Emmanuel Macron has said that NGOs are breaking the rules and playing into th ... Show More
12m 23s
Mar 2023
UK outlines plan to stop migrant boats
The British PM, Rishi Sunak has said he is ‘up for the fight’ to bring in new legislation to prevent migrants crossing the Channel on small boats to reach the UK. We will hear from a supporter and a critic of the plan. Also on the programme, TikTok spokesman defends its data poli ... Show More
48m 47s
May 2023
The Drugs Importation: Episode 337
The international crime gang had planned everything, covered every detail.<br><br>And as 33 year old Andrew Cole stood on the deck, he realised that his whole life depended on what happened in the next few hours. Andrew was listed as crew on the manifest, but his role was a very ... Show More
26m 15s
Nov 2022
The cost of rescuing migrants in the Mediterranean
In this episode of Business Daily we get on board The Ocean Viking, a migrant rescue boat operated by the non-governmental organisations SOS Méditerranée and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.The boat has recently been at the centre of a diplomatic ro ... Show More
18m 52s
Oct 2021
Escape to Spain: Episode 256
The Sundowner was a beautiful boat. At 42 feet long, it stood out at the south coast marina as a beautiful and classy vessel. It was no surprise that when Robert Saint decided to sell his boat, there was a buyer quickly interested. But Robert could never have guessed that the sal ... Show More
23m 42s
Jul 2015
A Mediterranean Rescue
In one of the largest operations of its kind, thousands of migrants, mostly from sub-Saharan Africa, were pulled off cramped, unseaworthy boats in the Mediterranean in June. Gabriel Gatehouse has had rare access to the operation. He follows two young men as they try to find a new ... Show More
28 m
Aug 2023
Has 'Small Boats Week' been a disaster for the Tories?
A week that was dedicated to show that the Conservatives have a plan on how to 'stop the boats' has instead been dominated by tragedy - the death of 41 migrants in the sea near Lampedusa while the deputy chair of the Tory party told Channel-crossing migrants to 'f*** off' back to ... Show More
29m 9s