London based 'brokers' are people traffickers smuggle helping illegal migrants across the Channel

People traffickers charge around £3,500 per person to bring migrants from France to England

Hundreds of migrants have crossed the Channel in recent months
Hundreds of migrants have crossed the Channel in recent months

London based middlemen are charging up to £500 per person to act as guarantors to facilitate the entry into Britain of illegal migrants, according to a new undercover documentary.

The brokers, some of whom pose as legitimate businessmen, withhold funds paid by the migrants and only release the cash to the people smugglers once they are safely in the UK.

The system ensures that those desperately trying to enter Britain are not 'ripped off',  by the smugglers and provides some form of 'gold standard' for trafficking gangs.

The illegal migrants usually pay around £3,500 to the smugglers, with the brokers taking between £300 and £500 to act as guarantor.

Details of the trade emerged in an ITV documentary to be shown on Thursday which highlights the ease with which people are able to cross the Channel and enter the UK illegally.

Undercover reporters, posing as migrants first made contact with an alleged trafficker who claimed to be based in Serbia.

He put them in touch with a London based broker, who claimed to run a currency exchange west London.

The broker asked the migrants' family to pay him £3,500, which he explained he would hold until the person had been safely delivered.

He told the reporters: "You pay me cash or you want to put it into an account and then I will confirm it...and then soon the person is come over after one or two days when you know he's in that's it finish, I will release the money."

Asked what happened if the migrant did not arrive safely, he replied: "No money released. And if you cancel the job I will give you your money back as well."

The undercover team made contact with four separate London based brokers who all allegedly worked for Iranian smuggling gangs.

One smuggler, who was charging £3,500 per migrant, said that using the broker meant the customer had some form of guarantee.

He explained: ""I've sent as many people as I have hairs on my head, I swear. I've been in this trade for 12 years. I'm a businessman. I work hard and I get paid well. But I'm not a cheat. It's not in my blood."

Tom Stone, the producer of the ITV documentary, Hunting The People Smugglers, said: " The brokers are the financial glue behind almost every crossing. They make the passenger feel they can trust the smuggler because they are told the money won't be released unless they get here safely. 

"They also help the smuggler appear professional and trustworthy when, in truth, the entire process is incredibly dangerous and the passengers are putting their lives in the hands of gangsters."

:: Hunting The People Smugglers ITV 10.45pm tonight.

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