Action against criminal network smuggling Syrian migrants via Balkan route: 29 arrests

Eurojust and Europol have assisted the German authorities with the coordinated takedown of a smuggling network, which was illegally transporting Syrian migrants via the Balkan route. In total, 29 suspects involved in the smuggling of at least 750 migrants to Germany and the United Kingdom were arrested. Twenty arrests were made yesterday during a coordinated action. Last month, the Serbian authorities already arrested and charged nine suspects involved in the same organised crime group (OCG).

Eurojust also supported Germany, Poland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia in setting up and financing a joint investigation team (JIT), in operational partnership with Austria, to investigate the criminal network.

Migrants paid between EUR 4 500 and EUR 12 000 per person to be transported irregularly to Europe by the OCG. At this stage, it is difficult to make an adequate assessment of the OCG’s overall profits.

The network arranged the further transport of Syrian migrants who had arrived on European shores mainly via the Balkan route, through Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Czechia and Austria. On some journeys, around one hundred Syrian migrants were transported to their final destinations in Germany and the United Kingdom at the same time. The transports to the United Kingdom took place via the Netherlands, using different types of vehicles. Routes were often changed to avoid detection by law enforcement.

During the action day, 25 places were searched and vehicles, cash, various communication devices and data carriers were seized. More than 450 police officers were deployed in the countries involved as part of the operation.

The investigations into the OCG was initiated in May 2022 by the German Public Prosecution Office (PPO) of Traunstein. In 2023, the German authorities requested Eurojust to facilitate contacts with all the other countries involved and assist in setting up the JIT.

The Agency also organised a coordination centre on its premises to support the action day and direct contacts between all authorities on the ground. In preparation, Eurojust organised four coordination meetings and assisted with the execution of European Investigation Orders and requests for Mutual Legal Assistance to the non-EU countries involved.

Europol established an Operational Taskforce in collaboration with Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Serbia, the United Kingdom and other European countries. The information exchanged within this taskforce revealed the dynamic operations of the criminal network under investigation. Europol’s experts analysed this information, and the international exchange helped to clarify the structure of the criminal activities and identify the actors involved in the smuggling and the financial activities linked to the network.