A people smuggler arranging small boat crossings from France to the UK has threatened The Telegraph for reporting on his activities and taunted the authorities for failing to arrest him.

The smuggler, who goes by the name “Salar”, runs a Telegram group with hundreds of people in which he advertises illegal Channel crossings for about €2,500 (£2,105).

“No one has ever complained about me,” Salar wrote in the group, eight days after The Telegraph published a story about him, adding he was simply trying to “help my friends”.

“I’m in Calais – if I had done anything illegal, the police would have arrested me,” he wrote.

“Know your place and don’t make trouble for yourself,” he posted as the caption under a screenshot of the story. “I don’t have anything to hide, and I’m not afraid of anyone.”