Nine people, including a police officer, have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling scores of migrants through North Macedonia, local police said on Wednesday (December 21).

The nine are all Macedonian nationals and include two minors, police said, adding that they were arrested during raids on 11 locations across the capital Skopje. The nine are expected to appear before an investigating judge.

Authorities said they are still searching for two other men and that three men from Middle Eastern countries – who have not been arrested – are believed to have led the suspected people smuggling group.

The group is accused of having smuggled migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria and other countries from Greece to North Macedonia, Serbia and then other European countries. In addition, they are accused of having transferred Indian migrants from Serbia to Greece through North Macedonia.

The group is believed to have smuggled at least 86 people during a six-month period from May to October this year, charging them up to €800 ($850) each for the transfer, police said. 

Balkan route sees uptick in irregular migration

North Macedonian police said the Balkan route for migrants has become more active in the past few months, after a lull caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and stricter border controls.

The European border agency Frontex recently reported a considerable increase in irregular entries into the EU from the Western Balkans. 

Migrants typically pay gangs to be smuggled through the Balkans to central and western EU countries.

According to North Macedonian Interior Minister Oliver Spasovski, police recorded 83 migrant-smuggling attempts in the first 10 months of the year, nearly double the number compared with the same period in 2021.

With AP