UK aid stops over 100 attempts to smuggle migrants through the Western Balkans
Foreign Office (FCDO) minister Lord Wood of Anfield to announce a new package of support to disrupt people-smuggling networks
The UK helped Western Balkan countries intercept more than 100 attempts to smuggle illegal migrants into Europe since the June, new figures have revealed in a major boost to home secretary Shabana Mahmood.
The revelation comes as a major summit is set to highlight how UK investment has massively disrupted one of the favourite routes used by the criminal gangs behind bringing illegal migrants to the UK.
Foreign Office (FCDO) minister Lord Wood of Anfield will join West Balkan leaders in Montenegro on Thursday to discuss tackling the people smuggling gangs who are attempting to come through the region.
He will announce a new package of support to disrupt people-smuggling networks operating in the Western Balkans has been announced today, building on the UK’s work to intercept illegal migrants earlier in the journey.
The new support builds on more than 100 illegal migrant interceptions since June 2026, strengthening intelligence sharing and action against organised immigration crime thanks to UK funding.
Lord Wood, the UK’s minister for Europe, will commit up to a further £5 million to support governmental institutions to respond to illegal migration flowing through the region towards Europe, and jointly tackle organised immigration crime in the Western Balkans.
The funding is expected to provide training and UK expertise to strengthen regional information sharing and clamp down on labour exploitation of migrants.
It comes after successful work of UK personnel and regional law enforcement through the Joint Migration Task Force (JMTF), which brings together specialists from countries across the region to design and execute operations to detect, deter and disrupt illegal migration.
UK-funded equipment and training have helped authorities in the Western Balkans carry out over 100 migrant interdictions since June 2026, disrupting multiple criminal gangs in the process.
Ahead of the summit, Lord Wood said: “Criminal gangs have exploited the Western Balkans for too long, profiting from vulnerable people and putting lives at risk.
“Together with our international partners, we’re dismantling these networks.
“But we cannot be complacent. With new UK funding, we are reinforcing that effort to crack down on people smugglers and strengthen Europe’s collective security.”
The Western Balkans is a key transit route used by criminals, but the UK’s international action is making it less tenable for people smugglers and illegal migrants. The EU’s border agency Frontex recorded 12,528 illegal crossings from the Western Balkans last year, significantly down from 144,197 in 2022.
The efforts are part of the government's attempts to stop the small boat crossings across the Channel which were still at high levels this summer and have helped fuel support for Reform UK and other rightwing parties.
The number of migrants arriving on the south coast has led to far right protests involving masked men in Tommy Robinson’s Patriot Platform in cities like Dover and Portsmouth.