Germany and Serbia crack down on smuggling gang
Germany and Serbia have dismantled a major migrant smuggling network during a coordinated international operation, arresting 15 suspected members accused of organizing the illegal movement of hundreds of migrants into Germany.
The investigation, led by German authorities with support from Serbian law enforcement and Europol, focused on two interconnected criminal groups believed to have been operating along the Western Balkan migration route. Investigators say the network mainly smuggled Syrian nationals and other non-EU migrants, arranging illegal border crossings in exchange for large sums of money. The operation followed years of intelligence gathering and cross-border cooperation.
According to investigators, one of the suspected ringleaders, a 31-year-old Syrian national, allegedly organized at least 17 separate smuggling operations involving more than 150 migrants. Authorities believe the wider network may have facilitated the illegal entry of up to 300 migrants into Germany by coordinating transport, logistics, and safe houses across several countries in the Balkans.
During synchronized raids in Germany and Serbia, police searched multiple properties, arrested key suspects, and seized mobile phones, computers, documents, and other evidence. Around 1,000 officers were involved in parts of the wider investigation, reflecting the scale of the effort to dismantle organized migrant smuggling networks operating across Europe.
Europol said migrant smuggling remains one of Europe's most profitable forms of organized crime, with criminal groups exploiting vulnerable people seeking to reach the European Union. Authorities stressed that international cooperation between police forces and judicial authorities is essential to disrupting these networks, adding that investigations are continuing and further arrests or prosecutions remain possible.