Europol: Polish authorities arrest 11 suspected of smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia to the EU via Poland
The Polish Border Guard, supported by Europol, has successfully targeted a large criminal network smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia into the EU.
The investigation was conducted within the framework of a Europol Operational Task Force, made up of authorities from Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. A Europol expert supported the operation on the ground in Poland.
The action, carried out between 14 and 16 October, resulted in the arrest of 11 people, mostly Polish, Russian and Ukrainian citizens, and the seizure of electronic equipment and about 80,000 Polish zloty in cash.
The investigation uncovered a criminal network composed of both Polish and non-EU nationals (from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Georgia), residing in Poland and other European countries. The non-EU nationals often acted as drivers, as they typically charge less for their services than EU nationals.
Migrants (mainly originating from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt) would transport themselves legally to Belarus, either directly or via Russia. Members of the smuggling network would then transport the migrants to the Polish-Belarusian border, which they crossed illegally. The migrants would be picked up in Poland by other members of the network and smuggled to other EU countries – mainly to Germany – by car.
The smuggling network is linked to smuggling incidents concerning around 600 illegal migrants. The criminal network charged smuggling fees of about €5,000 per person, sometimes in cryptocurrency. Migrants each had to pay a further €500 to the drivers in Poland for transporting them to their final destination in Western Europe.
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