Keir Starmer has hailed the arrest of a suspected small boat supplier as a "significant piece of the jigsaw" in tackling the Channel crisis.
A 44-year-old Turkish national was detained at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam in an operation involving the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA). The man is suspected of shipping dangerous dinghies and engines from Turkey and storing them in Germany before they are moved to northern France.
The PM said: "This is a significant piece of the jigsaw. I'm not pretending it's the silver bullet. There are other steps that are going to be necessary, but this is a very important step."
The suspect faces extradition to Belgium, where he is expected to be charged with human trafficking offences, the NCA said. Mr Starmer said the man is thought to be a "significant supplier" of equipment used to make dangerous crossings.
He said the Tories were entirely focused on the "Rwanda gimmick", claiming "not enough attention was on taking down the gangs that are running this vile trade". The PM added: ""Criminal gangs have been getting away with this for far too long."
More than 32,000 people have made the dangerous crossing so far this year, with at least 58 lives lost. NCA director general in operations, Rob Jones, branded the arrest an "important milestone".
He said: "We suspect that this individual is a major supplier of boats and engines to the smugglers operating in Belgium and northern France. The types of vessels and engines we see used in making these crossings are highly dangerous and completely unfit for open water."
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: “We will relentlessly pursue the criminal smuggling gangs making millions out of small boat crossings that undermine our border security and put lives at risk. This major investigation shows how important it is for our crime fighting agencies to be working hand in glove with our international partners to get results."
The NCA is currently leading around 70 ongoing investigations into networks and individuals involved in "top tier" trafficking and immigration crime. A statement from public prosecutor's office of West-Flanders said international cooperation is "crucial in the fight against human smuggling".