Group of people intercepted by authorities
By Seedy Jobe
The Gambia Immigration Department said it intercepted 177 would-be migrants in two coordinated operations along the country’s coastal belt over the weekend, underscoring a stepped-up effort to curb irregular migration and dismantle smuggling networks.
In a statement issued on its official Facebook page, the department said the first operation took place on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, at Lamin Lodge, after officers at the coastal belt station acted on what it described as “intelligence” indicating that migrants were being harbored in a private compound.
A search conducted in the presence of an informant led to the arrest of a suspected smuggling agent, the statement said. The suspect then directed officers to a nearby compound, where 70 suspected migrants were found and taken into custody.
“A search conducted in the presence of the informant led to the arrest of a suspected smuggling agent, who subsequently guided officers to a compound where 70 suspected migrants were being lodged,” the statement said.
A second operation followed two days later, on Monday, Jan. 5, in the coastal community of Batokunku. Officers from the GID’s Migration Management Unit intercepted an additional 107 migrants, disrupting what the department described as an attempted irregular departure.
According to the statement, those intercepted included both Gambian citizens and foreign nationals: 60 Gambians, 22 Senegalese, 17 Guineans, and eight others from unspecified countries. The group consisted of 92 men, 15 women, and six minors.
The immigration department said the operations were part of a sustained campaign against migrant smuggling and reiterated its “zero-tolerance” policy toward those involved in organizing or facilitating irregular migration. It also called on communities to cooperate more closely with authorities, saying public support was essential to dismantling smuggling networks and preventing the loss of life at sea.
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