Three men have been charged after nine people were arrested on suspicion of human trafficking when their speedboat was intercepted by police.

The group, half of which are Vietnamese, were caught in the early hours of yesterday morning as their vessel landed on the beach in Walmer.

Three men have been charged with conspiring to facilitate a breach of UK Immigration Law.

Nazmi Velia, 31, from St Albans, Egert Kajici, 34, from Oxford and 35-year-old Thomas Mason from Eyeworth, Bedfordshire, were remanded in custody following a court hearing this morning.

The arrests were part of a joint operation involving Kent Police, the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU) and Border Force.

Two other men caught in Walmer yesterday have been released under investigation.

The other four have now been taken to an immigration detention centre pending further inquiries.

ERSOU Detective Sergeant James Panter said: “Clamping down on human trafficking and the illegal entry into the UK is one of our key priorities and we’re really pleased with the results from today’s operation.

“We will continue to work closely with our partners to tackle those who commit crime across the eastern region and we’d like to thank the Border Force for its support with this.”