Nine arrested in immigration raids on Scottish fishing fleet

Nine people have been arrested under immigration legislation after fishing boats were targeted in Aberdeenshire and the Highlands.

The arrests - four in Mallaig and five in Fraserburgh - were carried out by immigration enforcement officers over a week.

Between 26 and 30 July, Immigration Enforcement's Threat Response and Volume Crime Unit was deployed across the ports of Barra, Oban, Fraserburgh, and Mallaig following intelligence relating to a suspected rogue fishing fleet operator.

Officers boarded 34 fishing boats in response to reports of modern slavery, labour exploitation, illegal working, and wider criminality within the UK commercial fishing industry.

The nine people arrested included five Sri Lankan nationals and four Philippine nationals. The four Philippine nationals have since returned to their home country voluntarily.

The operation included Border Security Command, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Police Scotland and the exploitation and modern slavery team.

Civil penalty referral notices were issued and a liable employer could face a fine of up to £60,000 per worker if it is found they employed illegal workers and failed to conduct the relevant pre-employment checks.

Anna Turley, UK minister for border security and asylum, said: "This government is tackling illegal working and ensuring unscrupulous employers are not exploiting vulnerable individuals and undercutting legitimate business.

"That is why in Scotland illegal working visits and arrests were at record levels in 2025, and have more than doubled across the UK since the election."

Adam San, assistant director of Immigration Enforcement's Threat Response and Volume Crime Unit, said: "Immigration Enforcement deal with threats across the UK and this is not limited to illegal activity occurring solely on land.

"These arrests demonstrate our ability to tackle all illegal working, in whatever form it takes."

In the first six months of 2026, there was a 31% increase on immigration enforcement visits and a 20% increase on arrests compared with the same period last year.

From October, companies hiring gig economy and zero-hours workers - including in the delivery sector - will be legally required to carry out checks to confirm anyone working in their name is eligible to work in the UK.

Those who fail to do so will face hefty penalties including fines of up to £60,000 per worker, director disqualifications and potential prison sentences of up to five years.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has announced that she will double the Immigration Enforcement budget by 2028/29 and boost workforce numbers by 60%.

This is expected to result in tens of thousands more raids, arrests, and removal of people who are not entitled to be in the UK.

Since the general election in May, more than 80,000 immigration offenders and foreign criminals have been removed from the UK.