Europol dismantles migrant smuggling ring on EU-Belarus border

December 8, BPN. As a result of a joint operation, agents from Poland, Estonia, Germany, Lithuania and Latvia have foiled a criminal ring that smuggled migrants from Belarus to the EU, the Polish Border Guard said.

The operation was carried out by a task force created under the auspices of Europe’s law-enforcement agency Europol to clamp down on migrant smugglers at the EU-Belarus border.

On December 7, officers of the Nadbużański border unit arrested a 51-year-old Polish national, owner of a taxi fleet, for allegedly using cars to transport illegal immigrants. As part of the criminal case, the border unit arrested a total of 23 people: eight Poles, nine Ukrainians, two Tunisians, two Georgians, an Iraqi and a Belarusian. In all, 60 arrests have been made.

The criminal group has been operating since the fall of 2021, mainly transporting foreigners from Iraq via Turkey, Russia and Belarus to Poland and then Germany or the UK.

According to the Polish Border Guard, one trip cost up to €15,000 per person. Members of the group have made about €16 million.