Man arrested in Brent over TikTok account advertising illegal crossings out of the UK
National Crime Agency officers arrested a 29-year-old man at a Brent address and seized a mobile phone. He has been bailed without charge while enquiries continue.
A man has been arrested in Brent as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into a TikTok account that advertised illegal crossings out of the UK.
NCA officers arrested the 29-year-old at an address in the north west London borough on Tuesday 3 November. They seized a mobile phone.
The agency said the arrest followed the discovery of a TikTok account advertising illegal crossings from the UK to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Germany.
He has been bailed pending further enquiries and has not been charged with any offence.
What the NCA said
NCA senior investigating officer Martin Matthews said: "Tackling organised immigration crime remains a top priority for the National Crime Agency, and we are doing all we can to disrupt and dismantle those networks involved."
He added: "This includes targeting the use of online platforms to advertise suspected illegal crossings."
Footage released by the NCA shows plain-clothes officers, one wearing an NCA jacket, standing outside a house on a residential street. The faces in the footage have been blurred.
A new offence
The NCA said the activity under investigation would be contrary to Section 17 of the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Act 2025. That section made it a criminal offence to advertise unlawful immigration services online, and it came into force in February 2026.
Under the law, a person commits an offence if they create or publish material online whose purpose or effect is to promote an unlawful immigration service. This applies where they know, or have reason to suspect, that the material will be published on an internet service and will have that effect. Social media platforms are covered.
Crown Prosecution Service guidance says the offence can be tried in either a magistrates' court or the Crown Court. On conviction in a magistrates' court, the maximum penalty is 12 months in custody or a fine. On indictment it is up to five years in prison, or six years where the offence is linked to the most serious illegal entry offences.
When the government announced the offence, it said the aim was to disrupt the business model of criminal gangs, which depend on promoting their services online. It said the offence would cover adverts for small boat crossings, fake passports and visas, and offers of illegal work.
Earlier cases
The Brent arrest is one of the first NCA investigations under the new law to become public. In September, the agency said a man arrested in Smethwick in the West Midlands had become the first person charged with advertising illegal immigration services under Section 17. That case followed social media posts said to offer advice on fraudulent visa and asylum applications.
The NCA has not said which TikTok account was involved or whether it has been taken down. It has not given any more detail about the man arrested in Brent, and its enquiries are continuing.
Anyone with information about organised immigration crime can contact the police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Information can also be given anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.