Britain to allocate up to £5m to combat migrant smuggling — The Independent

The United Kingdom plans to allocate up to £5 million to support Western Balkan state institutions in combating illegal migration and organised crime involved in transporting migrants. The new aid package is due to be announced at a summit in Montenegro, The Independent reports.

More than 100 interceptions

According to the publication, equipment and training funded by the United Kingdom have helped law enforcement agencies in Western Balkan countries carry out more than 100 migrant interceptions since June 2026. As The Independent notes, these operations also disrupted the activities of several criminal groups.

The Minister for Europe, Lord Wood of Anfield, is due to meet Western Balkan leaders in Montenegro to discuss countering networks involved in the illegal transportation of people through the region. The new funding provides for training and British expert support to improve information-sharing between countries in the region, as well as to combat the labour exploitation of migrants.

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Joint operational group

The Joint Migration Taskforce is involved in this work, bringing together British specialists and law enforcement officers from countries in the region. The group develops and conducts operations to detect, deter and stop illegal migration.

The Western Balkans remain an important transit route for transporting migrants. EU border agency Frontex recorded 12,528 illegal crossings on the Western Balkans route last year, compared with 144,197 in 2022.