Border police in the northeastern Italian city of Trieste recently arrested eight Turkish citizens on charges of aiding and abetting illegal immigration through the so-called 'Balkan route'.
Border police in Trieste, directed by the local anti-mafia State attorney's office, have arrested eight Turkish citizens suspected of being members of an organization illegally smuggling migrants through the so-called 'Balkan route', according to a press release published by the local police department on Wednesday, April 23.
Security officials also seized 10 vehicles as part of the operation which were allegedly used to smuggle migrants into Italy.
Three additional Turkish citizens were arrested by Croatian police in Split, Croatia.
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Women and minors among 52 irregular migrants
Police identified 52 irregular migrants, including several women and a few minors, some very young, investigative sources said. The probe, directed by prosecutor Federico Frezza, kicked off last spring during border controls in Trieste, after the arrest of Turkish citizens who were mainly transporting Kurds hailing from Turkey and Chinese citizens.
Judicial police in Trieste discovered a significant influx of irregular migrants, mainly families with minors, who had, in most cases, reached Bosnia and Serbia by plane before being taken to Italy by car or lorry through Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia, according to the investigative sources.
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Cost of journey between 4,000-6,000 euros
The final destination of the journey was not Italy but northern Europe, in particular Germany, according to the same source. The cost of a trip from Turkey to Italy ranged between 4,000 and 6,000 euros. The organization had contacts in Turkey, Bulgaria, Germany, Bosnia and Baltic countries.
Croatian and Bulgarian police took part in the investigation, along with Turkish and German security officials, including one who was deployed with border police in Trieste as part of cooperation efforts to fight migrant smuggling in the Balkan area and in northeastern Italy.
The collaboration kicked off following an agreement between Germany's federal police and Italian State police.