More than twenty people have been arrested during a crackdown across Europe against a smuggling gang. Four suspects arrested in Germany are responsible for 120 smuggling cases involving at least 748 people. Two people are said to have been killed in a smuggling operation.
The suspects arrested in Germany were arrested during a raid on eight apartments and business premises in Hannover, Leipzig and Duisburg. Extensive evidence was seized from the men, aged between 31 and 43, including smartphones and computers used during the smuggling. The 43-year-old man is also under investigation for three counts of incitement to attempted murder and for aggravated robbery.
More than 30,000 euros seized
At the same time there were operations in several European countries, coordinated by a senior prosecutor from Traunstein. For tactical reasons, the public prosecutor did not want to provide further details than the number of more than twenty people arrested. However, more than 30,000 euros in cash was seized throughout Europe.
The four people arrested in Germany are said to have collected an average of 4,500 euros per smuggling operation, yielding a total of around 3.4 million euros. The two deaths occurred during a smuggling operation from Belarus to Latvia.
Complex investigations against smuggling organizations
The large number of suspected smuggling cases and their ramifications into several European countries made clear how complex the investigations were and how closely the authorities involved had to coordinate. The suspicion is aimed at high-ranking smuggling organizations that made use of their internationally established smuggling network and organized the smuggling from German residential and business locations using modern communication platforms.
According to the information, the tracks followed led to Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria and the Netherlands. This was preceded by international cooperation between 13 countries that joined forces to combat the smuggling network. The Austrian Federal Criminal Police announced more information on Thursday.
Source: Krone
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