Border control expert Henry Bolton discussed the increasing struggle for control over migrant smuggling routes between Kurdish and Afghan groups. During an interview on GB News, he pointed out that this has turned into a “turf war” for dominance.
Bolton highlighted the broader issue of illegal activities extending beyond smuggling, involving narcotics such as heroin, opiates, and cocaine being brought into the UK by Kurdish and Turkish gangs as well as Afghan groups.
Most of the world’s opiates come from Afghanistan, making it unsurprising that Afghans are involved in organized crime, despite their war-torn background and the influence of the Taliban. Bolton emphasized that these groups have a history of using extreme violence to secure their interests and eliminate competition. They form alliances among themselves, sometimes with Albanians, Turkish, and Kurdish gangs. When rivalries escalate, firearms and extreme violence are often utilized due to easy access to weaponry.
Bolton’s insights shed light on the combination of criminality, narcotics, firearms, and human smuggling, which poses significant dangers. He highlighted a broader issue of immigration, explaining that the UK is admitting individuals from regions with ongoing conflicts, leading to potential spillage of tensions. The lack of measures to address these potential conflicts adds to the concerns raised by the National Crime Agency, emphasizing that immigration has national implications.
