In a dramatic pre-dawn operation, German police commandos launched a series of raids on Wednesday against an alleged Iraqi-Kurdish smuggling network implicated in trafficking migrants to the United Kingdom.
Over 500 officers participated in coordinated searches across multiple cities, collaborating closely with Europol and French security services.
The network stands accused of orchestrating the smuggling of irregular migrants from the Middle East and East Africa to France and the UK, utilizing substandard inflatable boats, as detailed in a police statement.
Based on search and arrest warrants issued by a French court in Lille, authorities combed through residential properties and storage facilities. Reports indicate that the raids targeted locations in Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Grevenbroich, Bochum, and even a refugee shelter in Essen.
The operation received support from more than 20 French investigators and three officials from Europol, marking a significant international effort against migrant smuggling.
This crackdown follows a prior investigation into another Iraqi-Kurdish smuggling ring, which resulted in 19 arrests earlier this year. The suspects, all operating within Germany, were responsible for acquiring, storing, and transporting inflatable boats used to ferry migrants from beaches near Calais to Britain.
Migrant smuggling via small boats has surged since 2019, surpassing the earlier trend of hiding individuals in the backs of trucks by 2021. According to Europol, approximately 30,000 migrants and 600 boats reached British shores last year, highlighting the ongoing crisis and the lengths to which traffickers will go in pursuit of profit.
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