According to its own statements, the European police authority Europol has arrested eleven suspected smugglers who used the route via Belarus to the EU. Investigators in Estonia, Germany, Lithuania, Poland and Great Britain were involved in the cross-border operation, as Europol announced on Friday.
According to Europol, the gang of smugglers consisted of Syrians and Turks who organized the transport of Iraqi refugees from Baghdad to the EU. In the course of the Europol operation, ten suspects were arrested in Poland.
Another arrest was made in the UK. In this case, according to Europol, it was a key member of the network whose arrest was based on an arrest warrant issued by Germany. Electronic material, receipts for money transfers and cash were also seized during the searches in Poland.
According to Europol, the migrants each paid between 10,000 and 13,000 euros for their transport from their country of origin via Belarus to Germany. Europol put the income of the “criminal network” at at least seven million euros.
