After being questioned by NCA investigators he was later released on bail. Following the arrest, NCA officers conducted searches of two properties, one in Glasgow and one in the Washwood Heath area of Birmingham. Electronic devices and documents were seized from both addresses, which NCA said it will now be examined. Abad Ulla Alimi, a 26-year-old Afghan male living in Dublin, was arrested at the station and charged with people smuggling offences. “Targeting, disrupting and dismantling the people smuggling networks who are targeting the UK remains a top priority for the NCA.”

Source: The Herald January 26, 2026 21:19 UTC