A joint cooperation between the Spanish National Police and Europol has led to the arrest of 19 people – 16 Syrians and three Moroccans – who assisting in the transportation of undocumented migrants from Spain to Germany and Norway.
In a recent statement issued by Europol, it was stated that during the operation, law enforcement authorities conducted checks in seven different locations, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“The criminal group is part of a larger network involved in smuggling Syrian nationals via the route Syria – Sudan/UAE – Libya – Algeria – Spain, which the Spanish National Police took down earlier in 2023,” the statement reads.
At the same time, important items were also seized, including five vehicles and various mobile and storage devices such as smartphones, computers, and memory sticks. In addition, as part of the operation, around €10,000 in cash and several documents were confiscated.
According to Europol, in June of last year, Spanish authorities launched an investigation into this particular criminal group. Their main focus was to facilitate the transport of irregular migrants from the coasts of Almeria and Murcia to the areas around Madrid. As a result, the organisation set up seven different locations that it used to accommodate these migrants.
Europol further revealed that the suspects responsible for this operation kept these accommodation sites in extremely unsanitary conditions. This negligence posed a major health risk to migrants who had entered Spain through clandestine means. Dangerous conditions continued from the migrants’ initial entry into Spain until their eventual departure to their final destinations, either by land or air.
The suspected persons were responsible for orchestrating the transport of migrants to Madrid’s Barajas airport. At the same time, they coordinated the purchase of tickets for these immigrants, destined mainly for Western and Northern European countries, especially Germany and Norway.
The criminal network is believed to have managed an extensive operation, overseeing more than 68 cases of illegal transfers. This resulted in the illegal smuggling of over 550 Syrian migrants into the European Union.
Moreover, the history of Europol in assisting criminal organisations has been proven so many times. Thus, in May 2023, the Romanian Border Police and Europol caught 28 people who were part of a criminal organisation. These groups were responsible for the illegal smuggling of migrants into the Schengen area, using routes that included Bulgaria and Romania.
The authority noted that on the day of the operation, the police conducted inspections at 29 different locations in areas such as Bucharest, the Arges district, Buzau, Konstanz, and Brasov.
The identified organisation engaged in smuggling undocumented immigrants from Turkey to Germany, employing a route that spanned Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.