LONDON — A man suspected of being a significant supplier of small boats equipment to people smugglers has been arrested in Amsterdam following a joint operation by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) and Dutch and Belgian police.

The man is alleged to have supplied engines and boats to smugglers in northern France, according to the NCA.

The Turkish national, 44, was arrested at Schiphol Airport on Wednesday and will be extradited to Belgium to face charges of human smuggling.

NCA director general for operations Rob Jones called the arrest a milestone in one of the agency's "most significant investigations into organized immigration crime".

He said the man was thought to be a "major supplier" of "highly dangerous" boats and engines to smugglers operating in Belgium and northern France. The NCA said it has been investigating for several years.

Authorities said the man, who has not been named, shipped supplies from Turkey, stored them in Germany, then transported them to northern France.

He was arrested after authorities learned he was travelling from Turkey to the Netherlands.

The man is likely to face legal proceedings in Belgium because the offenses he is suspected of committing took place there.

A spokesperson for the public prosecutor's office of West-Flanders said international cooperation is "crucial in the fight against human smuggling".

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described the arrest as a "significant piece of the jigsaw" in tackling Channel crossings, but said he was "not pretending it [was] the silver bullet".

"Criminal gangs have been getting away with this for far too long," he added.

Earlier this month Sir Keir announced an extra £75m to police the UK’s borders, vowing to "treat people smugglers like terrorists".

How many people cross the Channel and how many claim asylum?

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the case demonstrated how important it was for UK agencies to work alongside international partners.

“The excellent work of the UK’s National Crime Agency has been critical to this. We will stop at nothing to root out criminal networks wherever we find them," she said.

The NCA is leading some 70 investigations into networks or individuals in the top tier of organized immigration crime or human trafficking, the organization said.

The arrest comes nearly a week after a man known as the “best smuggler”, who advertised small boat Channel crossings on Facebook, was jailed for 17 years.

Amanj Hasan Zada, a 34-year-old Iranian national living in Lancashire, ran "a sophisticated enterprise" which "for him it was all about profit", the NCA said.

More than 50 people have died trying to cross the English Channel in 2024.

Over 32,000 people have made the crossing in 2024 so far — more than the total figure of 29,437 for 2023. — BBC