A Hanover court has sentenced five defendants aged between 26 and 42 to prison terms ranging from three to eight years for smuggling hundreds of people under life-threatening conditions. Another defendant received a one-year suspended sentence under juvenile criminal law. However so far, only one of the verdicts is considered to be binding.
The public prosecutor's office in Hanover, the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony, said in a statement that the majority of the six defendants had been apprehended during statewide raids over a year ago.
Investigators said that the defendants had formed a criminal gang to smuggle dozens of migrants into Germany and Austria via the so-called Balkan route, using irregular means of migration that mainly focused on hiding them in rented vans and small trucks.
In total, they are believed to have transported around 370 people over several years this way; in many instances, the irregular migrants coming to central Europe would find themselves locked up in the cargo areas of these vehicles for hours on end — without the smuggler having made sure that they would have sufficient air supply or food and water provisions.
There also were no additional safety provisions taken, such as having ways for the migrants in the cargo hold compartments to escape if needed, nor were there sanitary facilities made available to them.
It is not known for how many years the gang had been operating consecutively, though court papers indicate that prior to the raids and arrests in early 2025, the group had already been under investigation for well over a year.
The defendants are all Iraqi nationals.
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Five defendants to appeal verdicts
The Hanover Regional Court sentenced the person identified as the gang leader to eight years in prison.
Two members responsible for recruiting and coordinating drivers for the illegal scheme received prison sentences of four years and four months and six years, respectively.
Another person, who provided a meeting place where the criminal could plot their plans, was sentenced to three years in prison.
The driver of a smuggling vehicle meanwhile received a one-year suspended sentence under juvenile criminal law in Germany. This means that at the time of committing the crimes, he was under the age of 21.
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Only one of the verdicts has thus far become legally binding, with the defendant waiving his right to appeal. It is not clear, however, which one of the defendants this might be.
The other five defendants have appealed their verdicts, investigators told the media.
with KNA, dpa