Stopped by police – family in the car: smuggler rushed across the border

Around midnight, a 31-year-old smuggler arrived at the Deutschkreutz border crossing. He had a Turkish family of six in a black Skoda Octavia with a distinctive Czech license plate; three of the four children were minors.

Illegal transport chased by police
Before border officials could check the car, the driver accelerated and sped from Hungary to Austria. The alarm went off immediately. The tractor drove at breakneck speed on the B62 towards Weppersdorf. Police officers in patrol cars chased the illegal transport.

Human trafficker arrested shortly after midnight
They were already close on the heels of the tractor, but it was stopped in the middle of Lackendorf by units of the federal army. Half an hour after midnight the escape was over.

The suspect was temporarily arrested and taken away. An interview was not possible for the time being. The 31-year-old from Azerbaijan indicated that he understood neither German nor English. An interpreter had to be arranged.

More than 1,000 refugees since last week
Turkish families are currently increasingly fleeing their home country to the West. This is reflected in the current attacks. A total of 1,041 migrants were reported in Burgenland last week. This means that their number has increased to 21,153 this year.

Fifteen smugglers arrested in just seven days
“The police had the most work on Friday with 215 arrests and registrations. However, with 76 and 85 border crossings, Saturday and Sunday were unusually quiet,” the report said. The record of fifteen arrests of smugglers in seven days is extremely successful. In 2023, the police removed 184 accomplices of smuggling gangs from traffic.