EU-wide Migrant Smuggling Group Disrupted

A large-scale organised crime gang for smuggling of migrants has been identified, the press office of Bulgaria’s Prosecutor's Office said on 26^th of October.

A Europe-wide operation is being carried out on the territory of Bulgaria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK targeting an organized crime group operating on the territory of the five countries and smuggling foreign nationals from Afghanistan and Pakistan into European Union countries.

A Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was set up in March 2017 between Bulgaria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom with the participation of Eurojust and Europol. Judicial authorities in the five countries carry out coordinated action in their own countries with the support of Eurojust and Europol.

The crime gang allegedly used specially-adapted vehicles to travel across Europe, with special concealments in them to transport people in order not to be discovered during checks by border authorities.

In the JIT countries, evidence was collected about the gang being also involved in money laundering.

The investigation against this group began in 2016 in the UK and the Netherlands, which found that the gang’s activities also took place on the territory of three other EU countries. In Bulgaria, the investigation against the gang began in early March 2017 and was carried out by the Specialized Prosecutor's Office.

The operation is logistically assisted by Europol, which has provided information on the special features of the investigation in the different legal systems. Europol participates in today's operation by providing an analysis on the conduct of the operation. Information that has led to coordinated action across the five countries has been analyzed and exchanged in real time. Procedural-investigative actions are carried out on the territory of Sofia, Lovech and Vratsa, led by the Specialised Prosecutor's Office.

So far, 24 searches have been carried out, 17 of which based on prior authorization by the Specialised Criminal Court and 7 under urgent conditions.

To date, a total of 42 people have been detained. 7 persons were detained in Bulgaria in execution of European arrest warrants issued at the request of Belgium and France. 13 persons were detained in Belgium and 22 in the United Kingdom. A Eurojust coordination center has been set up with the participation of the national offices of all countries concerned and Eurojust's analytical department, which continues to work at the moment and coordinates the actions on the territory of Bulgaria, Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

Чуйте последните новини, където и да сте!
Последвайте ни във Facebook и Instagram
Следете и канала на БНТ в YouTube
Вече може да ни гледате и в TikTok
Намерете ни в Google News