Police partnered with Immigration Enforcement colleagues for a week of action to tackle organised crime.

Officers were deployed in Lynn, Norwich and Thetford last month as a part of Operation Silent, intercepting vehicles being used for commercial purposes. This included electric bikes, mopeds and vans.

In total, 70 immigration checks were conducted and eight people were arrested for immigration offences – including illegal entry to the UK, illegal working and immigration overstay.

Organised immigration crime involves offences which exploit vulnerable migrants, bringing them to the UK illegally. It is often linked with drug trafficking and distribution, modern slavery and human trafficking.

In November, two men were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. They were taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning.

The driver, 39-year-old Carl Byford of Aldershot, Hampshire, was charged and remanded into custody and appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on November 27.

He pleaded guilty to handling stolen goods, driving while disqualified and driving without insurance. He was sentenced to eight months imprisonment, banned from driving for 41 months and ordered to pay £187 in costs.

No further action was taken against the passenger.

One man was also stopped while delivering food on an illegally modified e-bike. When pulled over, he provided false details.

Once officers established his identity, checks revealed he was in breach of his bail conditions for a previous offence and was arrested.

He was taken to Wymondham Police Investigation Centre for questioning and remanded into custody for court. He appeared at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on December 2, and was released on conditional bail.

Fifteen illegally modified e-bikes were seized during the operation, as well as eight cars due to document offences.

Lead officer PC Chris Leah, from the commercial vehicle unit, said: “This type of operation is a great opportunity to disrupt those working illegally within the delivery sector.

“Migrants working illegally in sectors like food delivery are often exploited by criminal networks that control access to work accounts and documents.

“Working with Immigration Enforcement helps us to protect individuals from issues of modern-day slavery and work to dismantle the criminal networks behind it.

“We will continue to run operations of this nature in Norfolk with robust disruption and action against those involved in organised immigration crime.”