52 people were arrested in Austria during a European campaign to combat organized gang crime. 1,980 people and 2,993 vehicles were checked and one vehicle was seized. “Smugglers are trying to take advantage of the crisis in Ukraine and related refugee movements. They advertise that it has never been easier to come to Europe than since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) said of the campaign.
From 17 to 19 May, more than 205,000 checks were carried out in a total of 18 countries, as the Federal Criminal Police Office summarized the action organized by Europol under the title “Joint Action Days”.
Border crossing priorities
In Austria, the federal police, the state police and hundreds of police officers were deployed. Soko Kfz ran alternating daily interchanges at the border crossings at Nickelsdorf, Klingenbach, Schachendorf, Heiligenkreuz and Kittsee in Burgenland. The majority of the 52 arrests were made in the field of human smuggling.
“In the fight against cross-border organized crime, we need international and cross-border cooperation. Austria lives this cooperation not only with the EU Member States, but especially with the states of the Western Balkans,” said Interior Minister Karner.
And added: “Smugglers are trying to take advantage of the crisis in Ukraine and related refugee movements. They advertise that Europe has never been so easily reached since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis. International cooperation against this form of inhumane and brutal crime is therefore more important than ever.”
150,000 people across Europe under scrutiny
Across Europe, emergency services examined more than 55,000 vehicles and 150,000 people. 78 vehicles were seized, 351 suspects arrested and numerous motor vehicles, weapons, money and narcotics seized. Thousands of police investigations have been launched as a result of these checks. In total, hundreds of police officers took part in operations across Europe aimed at surveillance, confiscation and information sharing.
During the action days, the countries could exchange information with each other in real time. In the past week, this has been carried out more than 340 times between Europol and the participating countries. In addition to Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Cyprus, as well as the third country Albania took part in the operation.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
