The National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned that the United Kingdom’s soft border with the Irish Republic is being exploited by people smugglers, as Prime Minister Theresa May “sells out” Brexit in order to keep it as open as possible.

“People from eastern Europe and further afield are coming into the UK via the Common Travel Area through the Republic of Ireland,” warned Tom Dowdall, the NCA’s deputy director and lead official for human trafficking.

“Some are flying into Ireland and travelling into the UK by air or ferry, and we have also seen coaches going to [Northern] Ireland.”

Dowdall revealed that “organised crime groups” were arranging to bring illegal migrants to the Irish Republic, and then transporting them onward into the United Kingdom through its open border with the British province of Northern Ireland.

Others bypass Ulster and are simply sent onwards to the British mainland directly — as, while people travelling between the two countries are supposed to bring some form of identification, they are not subject to full-scale passport control.

“Certain nationalities are already coming into the UK inadequately documented,” Dowdall admitted.

“They get on a plane with documents but come off without, they destroy them. Iranians are paying £20,000 to £30,000,” he added — suggesting the migrants are unlikely to be “fleeing poverty”, as leftist commentators often claim.

POLL: Most Brits Says Brexit Too Slow, Believe Irish Border ‘Deliberately Exaggerated to Suit Political Agenda’ https://t.co/SI1qu08CGf — Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) June 19, 2018

The admissions come not long after a BBC investigation showed how the ‘soft’ border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland is exploited by criminal people-smugglers.

The publicly-funded corporation spoke to an illegal migrant who gave his name as Hamid, who breezed into Britain via Paris and Dublin after being supplied with illicitly obtained Greek documents, which were returned to the people-smugglers for reuse once he arrived.

“When I got on the plane [from Paris to Dublin] I was not worried,” he bragged.

“When we arrived in Dublin, I went through passport control, I passed through the checks and was able to leave,” he added, explaining how he was then put on a coach to Belfast and then a ferry to Glasgow, Scotland, before continuing on to his final destination in England by train, all without ever having to show any identification.

Ousted Home Secretary Amber Rudd admitted there may be over a million illegal migrants living in Britain last year, and former Director-General of Immigration Enforcement David Wood has suggested: “No-one could ever remove them, really.”

Follow Jack Montgomery on Twitter: @JackBMontgomery