Global Courant
Police in Germany have found more than 100 Syrian citizens in apartments and other buildings searched in connection with suspected migrant smuggling.
By means ofThe Associated Press
September 26, 2023, 2:39 am
BERLIN — Police in Germany found more than a hundred Syrian citizens in apartments and other buildings that were searched on Tuesday in connection with suspected migrant smuggling, German news agency dpa reported.
More than 350 German federal police officers searched locations as part of an investigation. The Syrians were allegedly brought to Germany without being in possession of a legal residence document, DPA said.
Police executed five arrest warrants, three in the northern city of Stade and two in the western city of Gladbeck. All five people arrested were Syrian asylum seekers already living in Germany, the news agency said.
The Syrian migrants had to pay them 3,000 to 7,000 euros ($3,170-7,400) to be smuggled into Germany. The suspects then used the money to buy gold, according to dpa.
The raids were ordered by federal police at Frankfurt airport on suspicion of gang and commercial smuggling of foreigners, the news agency reported.
The focus of the raids was on cities and towns in northern and western Germany, as well as Bavaria in the south, dpa said.
