Berlin (AFP) – German authorities announced on Thursday the arrest of five individuals in Germany, the Netherlands, and Bosnia in a coordinated operation against a gang accused of smuggling Syrian migrants into Europe. According to Munich police and prosecutors in the Bavarian town of Weiden, the suspects are Syrian nationals aged between 26 and 37. The detainees are accused of smuggling about 500 people into Germany and other parts of Europe, including via the so-called Balkan route, since 2021. However, investigators believe the actual number of smuggling cases is “much higher.” The gang admitted that in 2022 they smuggled about 480 people daily into Germany and Europe. The gang is believed to have charged 4,500 euros per smuggled person, making profits of no less than 1.4 million euros between 2022 and 2025. German authorities noted that the operation carried out on Wednesday was coordinated with the EU crime-fighting agencies Europol and Eurojust.

German and Dutch police searched three apartments in the cities of Dortmund and Bochum, as well as a property in Houten, the Netherlands. Many pieces of evidence were seized, including smartphones, vehicles used in the crime, and small quantities of drugs.