Man remanded over people trafficking

Twenty-one people were arrested during the raids

A man has been remanded in custody charged with people trafficking and immigration offences, following a series of police raids on Tuesday.

Mousa Kamara appeared at Bow Street Magistrates Court in London on Thursday.

He faces six counts of facilitation of illegal entrants, deception, using a document with intent to deceive and two counts of harbouring an illegal immigrant.

Mr Kamara was remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear again at Bow Street Magistrates on 28 August.

Another man, 35-year-old Michael Mesioye, admitted passport fraud at the same court on Wednesday and was sentenced to four months in jail.

Woman deported

A 40-year-old woman, Eytuoyo Okenedo, and an unnamed 42-year-old man, also appeared in court in connection with the raids, a Scotland Yard spokeswoman said.

Ten men and 11 women, mainly from Nigeria, were arrested on Tuesday in the raids at nine addresses in east and south-east London, by police investigating an alleged human trafficking ring.

As well as the four who appeared in court, seven - four men and three women - were cautioned for immigration and passport offences.

One of these, a 27-year-old woman, was subsequently deported to Nigeria, police said.

Seven other people - five women and two men - were bailed to return without charge pending further enquiries.

Three people - two men and one woman - were released with no further action.