Two men charged with people smuggling in east London.

Two men have been charged with conspiring to facilitate illegal immigration, following a major National Crime Agency investigation into people smuggling.

The Home Secretary Priti Patel MP joined officers from the National Crime Agency yesterday as part of Operation Symbolry.

Mohammed Mokter Hossain, aged 52, of Gaynes Hill Road, Woodford Green, and Noor Ullah, 28, of Church Lane, Leytonstone, were arrested during a series of NCA raids in east London yesterday morning.

Five other men, all taxi drivers, detained at the same time have been released under investigation, as has a sixth taxi driver arrested separately in Bromley-by-Bow yesterday evening.

Hossain and Ullah are due to appear before Barkingside Magistrates today, Friday 21 May.

Yesterday’s arrests formed part of a long running NCA investigation, codenamed Operation Symbolry, into a network allegedly involved in smuggling people into and out of the UK in the backs of lorries.