German police has arrested four suspects who are accused of smuggling at least 300 migrants and refugees from Syria and Iraq to Germany. Police say that the men charged up to €10,000 per person.
German police arrested four people on Wednesday (December 8) believed to be involved in smuggling people from Syria and Iraq into Germany through Belarus or the Balkans.
Two suspects were reportedly arrested in Berlin, while the other two were apprehended in Forst, a small town on Germany's border with Poland.
The suspects are all men, between the ages of 25 and 45, according to a statement released by police. Two of the suspects are reportedly Syrian citizens, the other two are from Iraq. A total of six arrest warrants were issued against people suspected of being part of this smuggling ring, news agency dpa reported citing police sources – meaning that two suspects were not apprehended.
Migrant smuggling accusations
The suspects were allegedly involved in transporting migrants and refugees from Syria and Iraq to Germany in cars and vans. Initially, their route led through Belarus, police said in a press release; but faced with increased checks and anti-migrant measures at the Belarusian border, they allegedly pivoted to transporting people through the Balkans. Police said that the group carried out at least 60 operations, involving at least 300 people being smuggled. They charged between €3,500 to €10,000 per person, according to police.
In a press release, police claimed that the suspects risked people being seriously injured through the circumstances in which they were being transported. Police also claim that "for the assertion of their financial interests [the suspects] did not reportedly shy away from threatening the people they smuggled with [violence] or death, or from the actual use of violence."
International investigation
In connection to the investigation against the suspected smuggling ring, German police also raided 14 properties, seizing cellphones, data storage devices and €5,000 in cash, according to a press release. The operation reportedly involved 375 police officers.
German police said that the investigation that led to the arrests was coordinated by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (EUROPOL) and that officers from Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Finland were involved.