There have now been two strikingly similar arrests of refugees on the Seefeld-Mittenwald route. Smugglers have collected up to €14,000 per person and are now in custody. A boy from Slovenia had to sit upside down on the center console.
Off the main routes and highways, the Scharnitz border crossing appears to be popular with smugglers. Two current cases demonstrate this: At the entrance to Garmisch-Partenkirchen, German officials recently stopped a Polish-registered five-seater carrying seven people.
“There were three men and a minor in the back seat, which was designed for three passengers. It was therefore not possible to put on the seat belts. Another boy was sitting loose between the front seats on the center console,” says Rainer Scharf of the federal police in Rosenheim.
Final stage of an organized tour
Only the Ukrainian driver, the suspected smuggler, could identify himself. The detainees, who said they were from Syria, said they boarded the plane in Slovenia as the final leg of an organized trip. The smugglers are said to have initially demanded 9,000 euros per person, then sometimes up to 14,000 euros during the course of the journey. Two Syrians (22 and 25 years old) are now in a refugee reception center.
Minors now under the care of youth care
The two minors are brothers aged 11 and 14. They suspect that their family could be in Germany, but they do not know in which city their relatives are actually located. Both were entrusted to the care of the Garmisch-Partenkirchen youth care agency. Following a court order, the 36-year-old driver was taken into custody on Tuesday and taken to the Munich-Stadelheim penitentiary.
Another case involving Syrians and a Ukrainian smuggler
The federal police had already brought a 46-year-old Ukrainian there the day before. He is also said to have smuggled in several Syrian migrants. The car with a total of six passengers was stopped near Mittenwald. Police are now investigating a connection due to the striking parallels between the cases.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
