Munich police, who led the operation, reported that two individuals being trafficked lost their lives while being smuggled across the border from Belarus to Latvia.
An investigation into an organized crime group responsible for smuggling 750 illegal immigrants from Syria into Britain and Germany has resulted in the arrest of 20 individuals across Europe.
The operation, spearheaded by German police with support from Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and Europol, included raids in Austria, Poland, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the Netherlands on Wednesday.
The NCA disclosed that the network charged each of the 750 Syrian migrants between 4,500 euros ($4,739) and 12,000 euros ($12,637) for the smuggling services.
Political leaders in Germany, Britain, and other European nations have been grappling with the challenges posed by illegal immigration, facilitated by human trafficking syndicates.
The anti-immigration Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has seen a surge in its voter support in Germany, while Reform UK, which focused on this issue, secured five parliamentary seats in the UK general election held in July.
This recent network smuggled illegal immigrants through the Balkans into Eastern Europe, with Germany being the primary destination for most of them.
Some of the individuals were then transported further to the Netherlands, where they were either smuggled into Britain in trucks or brought across the English Channel in small boats.
The NCA revealed that the network had been operational in 20 countries since 2021.
Germany, Austria, Serbia, and Bosnia-Herzegovina saw the arrest of four, six, six, and three individuals respectively.
According to a statement from the federal police in Munich and the Traunstein public prosecutor’s office, the four suspects arrested in Germany, all Syrian nationals aged between 31 and 43, were accused of smuggling 748 people, two of whom tragically lost their lives during the trafficking from Belarus to Latvia.
Furthermore, raids were conducted in the Netherlands, resulting in the seizure of vehicles, cash, cellphones, and computers.
John Denley, the NCA’s director of investigations, stated, “This was a major operation targeting a dangerous and harmful international people smuggling network operating in multiple countries, and impacting on the UK.”
‘Significant People Smuggling Gang’
The only arrest made in Britain was of Hussam Al Ramli, a 35-year-old Iraqi national, who was apprehended at his residence in Wolverhampton, West Midlands.
He is alleged to have facilitated the crossing of migrants from Belarus to Poland and arranged their onward journeys to the German border, with his services being advertised on social media.
Polish police officers assisted in the arrest, and he is expected to be extradited to Poland for trial.
In 2021, the European Union (EU) accused President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus of orchestrating a significant increase in illegal immigration arrivals into Poland, Lithuania, and Latvia through the borders, following sanctions imposed by the EU after an allegedly rigged election.
The British minister for border security and asylum, Eagle, affirmed, “We will stop at nothing to root out criminal networks wherever we find them. This includes working with partners overseas in collective pursuit of organized criminal smuggling gangs.”
In June 2023, Europol oversaw a large-scale operation against people traffickers operating in Germany, Romania, and Serbia after Turkish and Syrian illegal immigrants were arrested in Germany for crossing the borders with Austria, Poland, or the Czech Republic.
Germany is poised to hold snap elections in February, with early polls indicating a potential loss for Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s center-left Social Democratic Party (SPD), which currently leads a coalition government.
According to a Forsa poll conducted between Nov. 5 and Nov. 11, the SPD was trailing behind the AfD in voter support.
Following a general election in July in Britain, the Conservative Party, which proposed sending illegal immigrants to Rwanda for processing, was defeated by Labour, which pledged to intensify efforts against people traffickers.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently announced plans to collaborate with Serbia, Kosovo, and North Macedonia to enhance intelligence-sharing and cooperation to combat criminal people-smuggling gangs.
Despite the end of the Syrian civil war, over five million Syrians remain in refugee camps in the Middle East, with some attempting to enter Europe illicitly.
According to the UNHCR, Germany has provided refuge to approximately 850,000 Syrians who fled their homeland since 2011.
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