Bosnian police arrested eight suspects in a human smuggling ring accused of transporting over 1,400 migrants to Italy. The operation, conducted with Europol and regional police, also led to the seizure of weapons and cash.
Bosnian police arrested eight people suspected of being part of a human smuggling ring that allegedly transported at least 1,400 irregular migrants to Italy, authorities announced on Wednesday (October 31).
"Members of the criminal group organized the trafficking of at least 1,400 illegal migrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Eritrea and China," Dragana Kerkez, a spokeswoman for the interior ministry in Bosnia's Serb-run statelet, told AFP.
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Pan-European effort
The operation, conducted by cross-border teams from several European countries, resulted in the arrest of eight suspects in various towns across northern Bosnia, in collaboration with Europol, as well as Croatian, Slovenian, and Italian police.
During the raids, police also seized several weapons, approximately 51,000 euros, and used cars and boats, the spokeswoman said. The gang, which operated from 2020 to 2024, is also suspected of trafficking in drugs.
The group used the Sky ECC encrypted communications network system, which was cracked in 2019 by a team of Belgian, Dutch and French investigators.
This gave authorities unprecedented access to information on the practices of some of the most dangerous criminal groups, including those operating in the Balkans.
According to Kerkez, the group initially smuggled migrants to neighboring Croatia, from there they were transported by car and truck to Italy.
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Balkan route
Bosnia borders Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro and lies along the so-called "Balkan route" that migrants regularly use to reach the European Union.
Despite a reported decrease in migration along the Balkan route in the summer, these numbers rose again in September DW reported. Human rights workers also noted an overall rise in crossings at the Drina River border between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In August, 12 migrants died when their boat capsized as they tried to cross a river between Bosnia and Serbia, including a mother and her nine-month-old baby.
In Serbia, the closure of three migrant shelters this summer is likely to have an impact on migrants along the Balkan route, exposing them to increased risks from smugglers and traffickers. Human rights group No Name Kitchen has criticized the Serbian government's actions as a tactic to prevent migrant entry and noted that despite a perceived decrease in migration, people are still finding alternative routes to move.
The situation has become increasingly dangerous, with reports of violence between smuggling gangs along the Serbia-Hungary border and numerous car accidents involving migrants as a result of car chases or hazardous transport.
Although Serbian authorities have intensified crackdowns on smuggling, these efforts have resulted in the re-routing of smuggling operations to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Rise in arrests
Bosnian and Croatian authorities regularly arrest human traffickers in an ongoing crackdown hoping to deter migrants heading to the EU.
During the first nine months of the year, 1,430 migrant smugglers were arrested in Croatia, according to official figures -- marking a nearly 40-percent increase compared with the same period last year -- most of whom are foreign nationals from Bosnia, Romania, Ukraine, and Serbia.
Despite a rise in smuggler arrests, interceptions of irregular migrants in Croatia have decreased by 60 percent, with around 22,000 individuals stopped this year. Since joining the Schengen Area in 2023, Croatia has become a critical transit point on the Balkan route, and has tightened border controls.
Migrants, primarily from Syria, Turkey, and Afghanistan, often find themselves stranded in Bosnia as they face fortified borders and the risk of exploitation by smuggling gangs, including armed groups.
The reasons behind the increase in smuggler arrests remain unclear, particularly regarding whether it reflects a shift in migrant behavior toward relying more on smugglers instead of attempting to cross the border independently.
The border police in Bosnia and Herzegovina told DW last month that they are intensifying their surveillance of the border and have increased the number of police officers and special security forces to address irregular migration.
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With AFP