21 people, mostly from Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, were arrested by law enforcement authorities for their involvement in a major smuggling operation. The network was smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia into the EU via the northern Baltic route.
Europol led the operation, called Operation Task Force Flow II, and arrested key people in Finland, Germany, Lithuania and Poland. They also checked things in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, SchengenVisaInfo reports.
During the operation, spanning 24 countries, authorities also seized a trove of illegal items. These include a fleet of vehicles used for smuggling, gold jewellery likely obtained through illegal means, electronic equipment possibly used for communication or surveillance, fake identity documents for facilitating illegal migration, various documents related to the operation, counterfeit cigarettes for illegal trade, and over €80,000 in cash.
Iraqi Migrants Routed Through Russia & Belarus to EU, Targeting Germany & UK
The criminal ring was adept at smuggling migrants from Iraq through Russia and Belarus into the EU, with Germany and the United Kingdom being the primary destinations.
To carry out their illicit activities, the smugglers employed various vehicles such as cars, small vans, pickup trucks, and other non-passenger vehicles typically used for transporting goods.
The different criminal groups in the network were connected across borders and well-positioned along the smuggling routes, forming an efficient smuggling network. They used shared organisers, drivers, and other members to deal with the financial flows through the Hawala underground banking system.
The organizers of the operation conducted covert financial transactions through the hawala network, using regional offices in countries as diverse as Germany, Iraq, Syria and Türkiye.
Immigrants Paid €3,000-€5,000, Hawala & Cryptocurrencies Used for Transactions
According to Europol, immigrants seeking to pass through these illegal routes were charged between €3,000 and €5,000 per person, depending on factors such as the smuggling route, mode of transport, and specific circumstances.
Payments were made directly at hawala offices, with some individuals choosing to use cryptocurrencies for transactions. Meanwhile, the drivers who facilitated the smuggling were compensated with cash by local associates of the criminal syndicate.
Investigations into financial relationships indicate that some of the illicit proceeds have been directed towards financing terrorist activities, a grave threat to the security of the EU.
In February 2022, Europol launched OTF Flow II, a continuation of the successful OTF Flow I. This task force, with its main center in Vilnius, Lithuania, aimed to tackle a criminal group smuggling migrants from Iraq through Türkiye, Russia and Belarus into the EU.
Thanks to their efforts, they arrested nine of the 11 main targets identified, a significant blow to the criminal network.