Migrants have warned how “people disappeared into the sea” as they crossed the Channel. The Home Office has released a new campaign targeting Iraqi and Iraqi-Kurdish nationals to deter them from paying smugglers to board a small boat.

Iraqi-Kurdish gangs control migrant smuggling operations from Calais to Dunkirk, this newspaper understands, with territory split up according to where the criminals are from, such as Erbil, Sulaimaniya, Ranya and Sharazoor.

One migrant said: “The boat was too crowded. People disappeared into the sea.

“It is dangerous to enter the UK illegally on a small boat. If you enter the UK illegally, you face removal.”

Another said: “I was promised a well-paid job. Instead I was a slave. I was physically threatened if I refused to work.

“Illegal migrants are not allowed to work in the UK and risk being exploited. If you enter the UK illegally, you face removal.”

Border Security Commander Martin Hewitt travelled to Iraq and Kurdistan last week to discuss efforts to hunt the smuggling kingpins and bolster a new returns agreement.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper secured the commitment for a deportation deal during a visit in November.

Under the deal, Iraq has vowed to take back more failed asylum seekers.

Baghdad has committed to helping more deportations by providing more identity documents for suspected Iraqi nationals.

Britain will also pay Iraq to boost its capacity for dealing with migrants returning to the country as well as for programmes to help returnees reintegrate into society.

In August, the Daily Express revealed how more British officers and intelligence specialists will be based in Iraq to snare smuggling kingpins.

The Home Office wants to “go after” the criminal networks “at source” and lead international operations.

Iraqi-Kurdish smuggling gangs control most of the beaches and camps in Northern France, it is understood, meaning officials want to ramp up National Crime Agency operations in the smugglers’ home towns.

Criminals from Ranya are said to control a large part of the territory between Calais and Dunkirk.

The UK has struggled to return illegal migrants to Iraq despite them being among the highest of the nationalities of small boat arrivals.

Minister for Border Security and Asylum, Dame Angela Eagle, said: “Ruthless criminal gangs spread dangerous lies on social media to exploit people for money, and we are exposing them using the real stories of their victims.

“This campaign helps to break the business model of these criminals and protect people from falling victim, securing our borders as part of the Government’s Plan for Change.

“No one should be in any doubt that putting your life in the hands of a smuggler is not worth the risk. Too many people have died in the English Channel at the hands of these criminals, and we will stop at nothing to bring them to justice.”

Mr Hewitt said: “International partnerships are an essential part of our work to stop criminal gangs operating across borders to exploit vulnerable people.

“By strengthening these relationships and working closely with law enforcement partners across the world, we will bring down these gangs, break their business models, and put a stop to the misery and harm they inflict.”

“Communications are an important part of this work, and our international campaign is sending a clear message to prospective migrants that these criminals cannot be trusted.”