How EU police disrupted Vietnamese human trafficking rings
Vietnamese human trafficking syndicates have been targeted this year by pan-European police busts. However, the root causes of undocumented immigration remain.
Vietnamese human trafficking syndicates have been targeted this year by pan-European police busts. However, the root causes of undocumented immigration remain.
Greece has made dismantling migrant trafficking rings a "key national priority", according to statements made by the country's Minister of Migration and Asylum, Notis Mitarachi.
Migrants are using increasingly creative ways to journey to their destinations, often ignoring the risks involved. So-called clandestine journeys, which often involve stowing away in cars, lorries, boats, trains or planes are among the most dangerous ways people can travel.
The Republic of Cyprus is battling with a migrant influx which is overwhelming the small EU country's resources. Now, a dubious higher education scheme in the north of the island has been found to be among the factors responsible for the trend. Human traffickers meanwhile are lining their pockets with the money of desperate foreigners.
Authorities in Portugal have arrested a total of 35 people on human trafficking charges in addition to allegations of money laundering and falsifying documents. Dozens of migrants were reported to have fallen prey to the trafficking ring.
Tunisia has called for a regional referral mechanism and a regional center for the prosecution of human traffickers called "Trafficking Pol", similar to Interpol.
A 35-year-old Eritrean man wanted by Italian authorities on human trafficking charges has been arrested in Ethiopia and extradited to Italy. Ghebremedin Temeschen Ghebru was wanted for over a year as the alleged leader of a "transnational association operating between Central Africa, Maghreb countries, Italy and Northern Europe" for migrant trafficking, Italian police said.
Two Bangladeshi citizens, aged 32 and 24, have been arrested in Italy for allegedly holding prisoners and torturing fellow countrymen and women in Libya to force them into paying the sums of money agreed at the start of their journey in Bangladesh.
An EU-wide hackathon targeted criminal network that use websites and social media platforms to recruit and exploit refugees.
Austria is intensifying its crackdown on irregular immigration, launching a new campaign in a bid to deter potential migrants from countries including Morocco, Tunisia, India and Serbia.
The European Union and Morocco have agreed to renew a partnership on immigration aimed at fighting human trafficking following the rise of "new" and "very violent" strategies adopted by criminal networks with the tragedy of Melilla on June 24. The decision was announced by the European Commission on July 8.
In a massive police operation across Europe, the suspected ringleader of a network suspected of trafficking up to 10,000 people on small boats across the English Channel has been arrested alongside 38 other suspects. Almost half of the suspects were detained in Germany.