Status: 06.07.2022 2:48 p.m
According to their own statements, European investigators have broken up one of the leading networks in migrant smuggling in a joint action. The logistics center was in the district of Osnabrück.
Around 900 officers were on duty in Lower Saxony, Bremen, North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Baden-Württemberg on Tuesday. The focus was on four material warehouses in Osnabrück, Hanover, Lotte and Bielefeld. In addition, the investigators searched, among other things, houses and apartments in Osnabrück and in nearby Wallenhorst. A total of 36 objects were on their list, according to a statement from the Osnabrück public prosecutor’s office, the federal police and the Osnabrück police on Wednesday. Among other things, 119 inflatable boats, 33 boat engines, 966 life jackets, 64 mobile phones and tablets, around 27,000 euros in cash and weapons were seized. Officials – mostly special forces – had previously arrested 18 suspects between the ages of 22 and 54. According to a police spokesman, most arrests were made in the Bremen area. The accused are in custody or should be brought before a magistrate as soon as possible.
Network is said to have smuggled up to 10,000 people
According to previous knowledge, the smuggling network is said to have operated from the French and Belgian coasts to bring migrants in rubber boats across the English Channel to Great Britain. According to the authorities, the Kurdish-Iraqi network is said to have transported up to 10,000 people for a period of between one and a year and a half. The large-scale Europe-wide raid was coordinated by the European judicial and police authorities Eurojust and Europol. According to the information, a total of 52 suspects were arrested during the action in France, Belgium, Great Britain and Germany.
Clues led investigators to the smugglers’ camps
Investigators from the partner countries were also on duty in Osnabrück.
During the investigation, there were indications that the gang of smugglers had brought material from Germany to the Channel coast on a large scale. Accordingly, the members in Germany had the task of procuring and storing boats, engines and vests, among other things. They were then brought to the French and Belgian North Sea coasts by themselves or others in vehicles. The investigators were able to understand, among other things, twelve transports from camps in Hanover and Bielefeld. Later they became aware of the other camps. During the searches on Wednesday, the German officers were assisted by police forces from the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Great Britain. There have also been house searches and arrests in these countries.
Connection to shots at man in Osnabrück?
According to the investigators, the smuggling network could be connected to an attempted homicide in Osnabrück. A man was seriously injured by gunfire in November. It was possibly an act of revenge for a gun attack on a member of the organization in a French refugee camp, the police said.
Interior Minister Pistorius: Model is mean and unscrupulous
Lower Saxony’s Interior Minister Boris Pistorius (SPD) meanwhile praised the actions of the investigators. “The criminal business model of making money illegally from people’s suffering and misery is vile and unscrupulous,” said Pistorius. “In their hopeless situation, these people often see no other way out than to place themselves in the hands of criminal gangs for a lot of money and often risking their lives in the process.” The Minister of the Interior pointed out that “smuggling crime will continue to be a major challenge for us in the future”. Justice Minister Barbara Havliza (CDU) emphasized international cooperation. “The fight against smuggling networks cannot be won nationally alone. I’m glad that criminal prosecution works across borders,” said Havliza. The public prosecutor’s office and the police in Osnabrück are “currently playing a pioneering role”.
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