The European police agency (Europol) announced today, Thursday, that it has dismantled one of the largest migrant smuggling networks operating across the English Channel, arresting 19 individuals in Germany, including the network leader and four key coordinators. This was part of an extensive operation executed in collaboration with the police forces of Germany, France, and Belgium.
The EU's law enforcement agency stated that "the investigation focused on a Kurdish Iraqi network suspected of smuggling illegal migrants from the Middle East and East Africa from France to the United Kingdom using low-quality inflatable boats." The agency pointed out that the criminal network typically placed 50 migrants into boats designed for a maximum of ten people and charged between one thousand to three thousand euros ($1,081-$3,242) per migrant.
The suspects organized the purchase, storage, and transportation of the inflatable boats, which they later used to smuggle migrants from the shores near the French city of Calais to the UK.
