(AFP) Five people have been arrested in Germany, the Netherlands and Bosnia in a coordinated operation against a gang accused of smuggling Syrian migrants into Europe, German authorities said on Thursday.
The suspects are Syrian nationals aged between 26 and 37, police in Munich and prosecutors in the Bavarian town of Weiden said in a statement.
They are accused of smuggling at least 500 people to Germany and elsewhere in Europe, including via the so-called Balkan route, since 2021.
However, investigators believe that the “actual number of cases is significantly higher.”
“The organisation itself says that in 2022 it was smuggling up to 480 people per day into Germany and Europe,” the statement said.
