Thirty-seven migrants of various nationalities were found on a beach near Fort-Mahon, in the Somme, during the night from Saturday to Sunday.
Two people "for whom one wonders if they are smugglers" were placed in custody, indicates the deputy prosecutor of Amiens, Alexia Royannez, without being able to confirm at this stage that the two files were linked.
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According to a source close to the case, the arrests took place around 3 am in the same department.
A first van was checked, which the driver said had dropped off migrants on the beach, then a second van arrived with all the necessary equipment for a crossing, the source reported.
Departures in areas where you can see the cliffs of Dover
Crossings and attempted crossings from the Channel to England on board small boats have steadily increased since 2018, reaching records this summer, bringing to some 15,400 the number of migrants involved between the beginning of January and the end of August.
Authorities and associations note a widening of the areas from which migrants attempt to cross.
“Departures take place between Calais, Cap Gris-nez and Dunkirk, the areas where you can see the cliffs of Dover when the weather is nice and where it seems easy to cross, but over the months and the strengthening of patrols on land the Little by little, this phenomenon has spread to the south, ”explained the maritime prefect of the Channel and the North Sea, Philippe Dutrieux, at the beginning of September.
