A huge smuggling network that organised the transportation of over 1,000 migrants has been uncovered. The law enforcement agency of the European Union Europol, officially the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation, supported an international operation targeting the illegal transportation of people from Vietnam into the UK. The network organised more than 200 transports involving more than 1000 migrants, each paying an average of 9,500 to 12,000 euros (approximately £750 – £10,420) for the final part of the smuggling process, including visa applications, flights and accommodation.
According to the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs many of the migrants were exposed to exploitation due to the debts incured from the high smuggling fees. It is believed that the network managed to make over €50million — equivalent to £41.6million.
Europol supported the investigation by facilitating information exchange between Belgian, French and British law enforcement authorities and providing operational coordination. The agency also provided analytical support, including the deployment of an analyst to France, so they could cross-check operational information against its databases and provide leads to investigators.
It led to 19 arrests. Migrant smuggling often exposes migrants to life-threatening conditions, especially during dangerous sea crossings.
The fees charged by smugglers can leave migrants in debt, potentially exposing them to human trafficking and exploitation, including forced labour and sexual exploitation, the Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs warns. Therefore Europol works to combat migrant smuggling and help national authorities dismantle smuggling networks.
Another successful operation involved the uncovering of a network that allegedly used forged documents to smuggle migrants by air from mainland Europe to the UK. These migrants, mostly Syrian nationals, were smuggled through different secondary networks, including an arranged sea crossing from Libya to Lampedusa, smuggling 61 migrants without any safety equipment.
The operation in Germany and Serbia led to the arrest of three seniors suspected of smuggling more than 900 migrants into the EU.
