15 individuals arrested for allegedly smuggling migrants from Syria to EU: Europol

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) - A European investigation brought to the arrest of 15 individuals accused of smuggling migrants from Syria into the EU, Europol said Tuesday.

According to the probe, the network used an unusually long and expensive route to smuggle migrants into Europe.

Starting in Syria, the irregular migrants were taken via Sudan or the United Arab Emirates to Libya. Then they were smuggled into Algeria and finally crossed the Mediterranean to Spain.

The criminal network could count on a widespread infrastructure in the countries along the route, mainly Lebanon, Sudan, Libya and Algeria, Europol said. The investigation involved law enforcement authorities from Spain, France, Germany and Norway.

The suspects are believed to have arranged the smuggling of at least 200 migrants through this route, corrupting officials to carry the migrants from Libya to Algeria, from where the migrants were taken to Spain on high-speed boats.

In Europe, members of the criminal network based in Belgium, Germany and Spain coordinated the sea crossings and facilitated the secondary movements to the destination countries, Europol said.

The investigation unveiled a much less known route used by smugglers to bring Syrians into Europe.

Normally, Syrian and other Middle Eastern irregular migrants are smuggled into Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean route.

Earlier in June, four Afghan citizens accused of migrant smuggling were arrested in France and Germany, as part of an Italian investigation.

Europol said that the more recent investigation found that the suspects charged from €7,000 to €20,000 ($7,630 to $20,800) per person for the longer journeys through Sudan or the UAE.

The criminal network took care of the entire logistics of the journey, including the paperwork in some countries, flight tickets and accommodation along the route.

Authorities found that the suspects implemented stringent security measures to ensure the successful outcome of their smuggling operations.

These included placing physical and video surveillance at several clandestine points along the coast where the irregular migrants were expected to be brought, Europol said.

Authorities seized two speed boats, six vehicles, electronic equipment such as laptops and GPS devices, drugs fuel, 42 mobile phones and two satellite phones, documents and over €500,000 ($544,565) in cash, as part of the probe.