Single mum Neda Amini, 41, is now awaiting extradition to France to face allegations she played a lead role in sourcing desperate people to make the dangerous crossing. Last week Home Secretary Priti Patel agreed to pay France a further ￡54million to double patrols of its beaches, after 430 migrants made it to the UK last Monday – the biggest single number in a day. The number of arrivals this year has topped 8,500, already more than for the whole of last year.

       Magistrates heard Amini was work- ing as a hairdresser in Bexleyheath, south-east London, when she was held on a European Arrest Warrant issued by France.

       It alleges that between January and August last year she was involved with a criminal network arranging the crossings, which was led by her France-based partner who was involved in a legal firm.

       It states she was involved in sourcing migrants to send to the UK by boat and collecting payments from them once they were in the UK. The warrant said there were “several night passages every week since the beginning of 2020” using “small boats on which migrants are left alone from the French coasts, between the towns of Dunkerque and Calais, risking their lives to reach the United Kingdom.”

       It added that her partner, who is believed to be in France, was “the main protagonist of the network in France... the migrants involved were of various nationalities, including Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan.”

       It said the organised crime group was involved in “the purchase of boats and materials, movement of migrants to beaches in and around Calais as well as providing false

       documentation and laundering large amounts of money”.

       Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard the network was jointly investigated by police in UK, France, Germany and the Netherlands. The prosecution is taking place in France.

       Judge Timothy Godfrey ordered her extradition “in order to prosecute her for three offences arising out of her alleged involvement in a network of people smugglers”.

       The charges she faces carry a maximum of 10 years’ imprisonment.

       Amini, originally from Iran, has lived in the UK for over 15 years.

       She argued extradition was against her human rights as she has to care for her son and has health issues.

       She denied being involved in people smuggling and told the court her partner had become threatening.

       The judgement added: “Ms Amini says she visited her partner in France twice and at his request took a folder containing passports back to the UK with her on the first occasion.

       “She says she did not know what the folder contained at the time. Ms Amini says back in the UK she helped people she understood were clients of her partner’s legal firm.”

       However French authorities argued phone taps show “she is perfectly aware of her spouse’s activities...[and] takes an active part by collecting money...or even sending candidates for passage to her spouse”.