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Border Force cutters Searcher and Vigilant intercepted the vessel, a 30-metre fishing boat Picture: NCA
- Credit: NCA
Three men have been charged with people smuggling offences after a fishing boat containing 69 migrants was intercepted off the coast.
In total, UK law enforcement agencies arrested all 72 people on board a 30m fishing vessel sailing from the Ostend area of Belgium on Wednesday morning.
Three crew members were arrested on suspicion of facilitating illegal immigration and appeared at Colchester Magistrates’ Court this afternoon.
Igor Kosyi, 56, and Volodymyr Mykhailov, 48, both from Ukraine, and Aleksandrs Gulpe, 43, from Latvia, have been remanded in custody.