German police have arrested two men following raids targeting organized migrant smuggling in Berlin and the northern state of Lower Saxony. The arrests are the latest in a series of large-scale raids against suspected migrant smugglers in Germany.
On Thursday (November 23), German police reportedly arrested two men over the alleged smuggling of migrants.
The arrests were part of raids that targeted organized migrant smuggling in Berlin and the northern state of Lower Saxony, news agency AP reported.
A total of 260 officers conducted searches at eight properties in Lower Saxony and another six in Berlin. The suspects are accused of smuggling more than 200 migrants, most of them Syrians, into the European Union, according to AP, citing the news agency dpa.
The suspects include a 23-year-old man from Berlin, arrested in the town of Garbsen northwest of Hannover, and a 40-year-old man taken into custody in Lehrte east of Hanover. The latter suspect was reportedly arrested on the basis of an Austrian arrest warrant.
This week's arrests come on the heels of a series of large-scale raids against suspected migrant smugglers in Germany in recent weeks.
Earlier this month, police cracked down on a suspected smuggling ring in eastern Germany that allegedly transported almost 60 migrants through the Balkans to Germany in the back of vans and cars in what police described as inhumane conditions.
In late September, five Syrian nationals were arrested in connection with suspected migrant smuggling. During the raids, police discovered over 100 other undocumented Syrians.
Allegedly more than 200 smuggled migrants
While authorities did not identify the two suspects arrested this week, AP reported, security officials believe they were part of a smuggling ring.
The network, which is believed to consist primarily of Iraqis, allegedly transported at least 208 migrants into the European Union during a dozen trips between August 2022 and June of this year.
The men are suspected of bringing migrants to Germany under extreme heat conditions and using "unsuitable vehicles." Moreover, they are accused of neglecting to provide passengers with rest or food, reports dpa.
The suspects, who allegedly charged €4,000-5,000 per person, took a route through Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and ultimately into Germany.
Situated in the heart of the EU, economically prosperous Germany is a top destination for migrants from around the world. However, states and municipalities are increasingly struggling to find enough space to accommodate newcomers. At the same time, the federal government is under pressure to curb irregular migration and speed up deportations of rejected asylum seekers.
In recent weeks, Germany also started implementing fixed border checks on the Polish, Czech Republic and Swiss borders to keep unauthorized migrants from entering the country.
Also read: Migrants-as-smugglers: Europe's criminalization of people on the move
Lucrative and dangerous business
Migrant smuggling is a highly profitable and highly organized business. Some smuggling networks transport thousands of migrants to Europe. Tuesday's incident, moreover, highlights the dangers migrants face while trying to reach European countries with the help of smugglers, who are frequently arrested both inside and outside the EU.
As per the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), migrant smuggling is defined as the "facilitation, for financial or other material gain, of irregular entry into a country where the migrant is not a national or resident."
The main difference between migrant smuggling and human trafficking, according to UNODC, is "financial or material benefit" vs. the actual exploitation of the victim and their person.
Also read: Germany -- Suspected migrant smuggler charged with causing death
with AP