Some 33 people have been arrested as part of a three-day operation targeting people-smuggling networks exploiting the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland.
The crackdown focused on ports and airports across Northern Ireland, northwest England and Wales, with Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams leading the effort.
Both illegal migrants and suspected people-smugglers were among those detained in what the Home Office described as a "Northern Ireland people-smuggler crackdown".
Officers seized £17,000 of suspected criminal assets during the operation, the department said.
A lorry worth £144,000, related to an unpaid penalty notice over stowaways, was also confiscated by authorities.
Both illegal migrants and suspected people-smugglers were among those detained, the Home Office has said
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Images released show stacks of cash being recovered and officers seizing the vehicle, while footage from Belfast International Airport captured a traveller with a suitcase being taken into a police van.
The operation involved a coordinated effort between multiple agencies, including the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Ireland's An Garda Síochána, the National Crime Agency, other UK police forces, Border Force and "international partners".
The focus was specifically on abuse of the Common Travel Area, the agreement between the UK and Ireland that allows for free movement between the two jurisdictions.
Routes from the island of Ireland to the UK mainland have long been considered vulnerable to people-smuggling due to minimal border controls in the zone.
This marks the sixth operation of its kind since Labour took power in July last year, according to the Home Office.
MORE MIGRANT CRACKDOWNS:
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Authorities report that a total of 60 arrests have been made and more than £405,000 of criminal cash seized over abuse of the Common Travel Area during this period.
While last year, 14 Albanians were found hiding inside a livestock wagon that had travelled into the British mainland from Northern Ireland.
Home Office immigration enforcement deputy director Ben Thomas said: "Criminal networks seek to bypass robust border checks through fraudulent means and trap vulnerable people into further illegal activities.
"The success of this operation marks a significant step up in enforcement activity, leading to the arrest of 33 criminals who attempted to abuse the common travel area and undermine the UK's border security."
'This Government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash,' Angela Eagle said
PABorder security minister Dame Angela Eagle added: "This Government is using every tool at its disposal to take down the criminal gangs who exploit vulnerable people in order to make quick cash."
But the operation comes as arrivals on the Channel migration route have topped 12,000 this year, representing a 40 per cent increase compared to 2024.
On Wednesday alone, 13 boats carrying 825 migrants made the journey across the Channel, with at least two people reportedly dying during one of the crossings.
And damning new figures from top data scientist Dr Richard Wood have predicted that arrivals could soar to 50,000 in 2025, breaking a record set in 2022 and representing a 20 per cent increase on last year's numbers.
