With temperatures soaring, more and more refugees are arriving on foot – many are also trying to fly on holiday.
Summer tourism has only just started, but Greek officials in particular have their hands full with the airports. As in previous years (the “Krone” reported in detail several times), traffickers gangs are trying to use the season for their criminal purposes. And to put their customers in the mass of holidaymakers on charter planes – mainly with destinations in Austria, Germany and France.
The plane tickets are real. Issued only to false identities. Equipped with boarding passes and passports, most of which have previously been stolen (or forged in professional counterfeit shops), the migrants are then simply dropped off in front of the airports by the people smugglers.
Refugees trapped in Crete
Just two days ago, three refugees from Pakistan were busted with false papers at Heraklion airport in Crete. All three had a “valid” plane ticket to Vienna. In this case, however, the two suspected smugglers associated with them were too careless: they were also caught near the airport during the manhunt that had begun.
Local anti-smuggling boss Gerald Tatzgern of the Federal Criminal Police Office is not really surprised by the arrests: “We are already registering twice as many arrests this year as in the same period in 2021. And the smuggling routes are no different in other countries. Last weekend alone, our Hungarian colleagues picked up 500 refugees on their way to us.”
Number of arrests of human traffickers doubled
About 2,500 migrants have been detained in Lower Austria alone this year, 700 more than in the same period last year. The national balance sheet for the whole year will be announced on Monday with the presentation of the tractor report. In addition, 48 smugglers (more than twice as many as in the first half of 2021) went online.
And so, on Friday, dozens of officials set out as part of a “sharp action” to attack the region around the Guntramsdorf highway interchange. No randomly chosen location. “We will continue to focus on priorities in the coming weeks. Resolute action against this inhumane form of organized crime is an essential part of current operational measures,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner, who saw the “sharp action” personally.
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.
