Europol Arrests 21 in Operation Against Migrant Smuggling Network on EU-Russia Border
In a coordinated European police operation, 21 individuals were arrested for their involvement in a criminal organization that smuggled migrants from Iraq to Europe through Belarus and Russia, the European Union's law enforcement cooperation agency, Europol, announced on Thursday.
Based in The Hague, Europol stated that the detainees were predominantly citizens of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, with 15 arrests taking place in Poland.
The criminal network facilitated the smuggling of migrants from Iraq to Europe, crossing through Russia and Belarus, with Germany and the United Kingdom being the primary destinations. The criminals exclusively utilized cargo vehicles for their smuggling operations.
During the police operation, authorities were able to seize vehicles, gold jewelry, electronic devices, counterfeit personal documents, cash registers, narcotics, counterfeit cigarettes, and over 80,000 euros in cash.
According to a press release from Europol, migrants paid the smugglers between 3,000 to 5,000 euros each for the journey. The leaders of the criminal network conducted secret financial transactions using a trust-based (hawala) payment system, operating through regional offices located in various countries, including Germany, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. Migrants made direct payments to these "hawala offices," while local members of the criminal network paid the drivers in cash.
The investigation into the financial transactions suggests that a portion of the illegal profits may have been used to finance terrorism.