After police raids in the Bulgarian capital Sofia and in the eastern region of the country, 17 suspected people smugglers were arrested and taken into custody by the authorities. The Deputy Prosecutor General, who has already broken up other similar rings, is investigating the group and their reach further.
In the past few months, smugglers seem to have established a new clandestine route to bring African migrants to Europe. An increasing number of Cameroonians now find themselves 'trapped' in Cyprus after being sold a 'smuggle package' to Italy. Although Syrians still top the list of asylum seekers in Cyprus, Cameroonians are quickly catching up, and a growing number of other Africans are joining them. InfoMigrants went to Nicosia to investigate.
Four years ago, the bodies of 71 migrants were found inside an abandoned truck in Austria. The main suspects had already been sentenced, but now an appeals court in Hungary has delivered the final ruling on the case.
Abdallah Hidou, better known as Malohiya, is awaiting trial on charges of trafficking migrants to Italy from Niger. His arrest was the result of a joint African and European police investigation.
The EU border agency Frontex has denied having documented any "collusion" between NGOs and human traffickers. French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had claimed earlier in the week that Frontex knew of NGOs aiding smugglers.
Europe’s governments are breathing a sigh of relief as the number of refugees arriving from Africa falls. But at what price?
Refugees and other migrants hardly ever choose a destination country based on their understanding of the asylum system or migration policies there, or how much financial support they would get. Instead, family, friends and people smugglers, plus a fair amount of chance, are what determine a migrant’s destination.
Croatian police found 39 migrants over Christmas. They were hiding in a small van. The overcrowded vehicle had entered the country from Bosnia Herzegovina.
Tunisian authorities said it has registered alarming figures regarding human trafficking in 2017, with more than 1,480 cases of underage victims last year.
Abdou Faye is 34 and from Senegal. In 2015 he arrived in Sicily by boat and was accused of people smuggling by his fellow passengers. Tried in an Italian court, he was found guilty and served his sentence, first in prison and then under house arrest. This summer as he completed the sentence, it was overturned and his innocence restored.
Italian authorities stopped six members of the crew of a fishing boat that towed a boat with 68 migrants aboard to Italy. The suspects are accused of facilitating illegal immigration through a new technique used by traffickers to bring migrants to Europe.
A large number of the unaccompanied children who were refused sanctuary by Britain’s Home Office after the Calais migrant camp shut down have 'disappeared' after making their way to the UK illegally. Campaigners fear that most have fallen victim to traffickers and so-called debt bondage.