Current:Home > ScamsGerman police arrest two men accused of smuggling as many as 200 migrants into the European Union-Angel Dreamer Wealth Society D1 Reviews & Insights
German police arrest two men accused of smuggling as many as 200 migrants into the European Union
View Date:2024-12-23 21:35:21
BERLIN (AP) — German police arrested two men Thursday following raids targeting organized migrant smuggling in the country’s capital and the northern state of Lower Saxony.
About 260 officers took part in the raids and searches at eight properties in Lower Saxony and another six in Berlin.
The suspects are accused of smuggling more than 200 migrants, most of them Syrians, into the European Union, German news agency dpa reported.
One of the suspects, a 23-year-old man from Berlin, was arrested in Garbsen near Hannover. The other, a 40-year-old man, was placed in custody in Lehrte near Hanover on the basis of an Austrian arrest warrant.
Authorities did not identify the suspects. But security officials alleged the two were part of a group of smugglers, most of them Iraqis, that allegedly brought at least 208 migrants into the EU during a dozen trips between August 2022 and June 2023.
The men are suspected of transporting the migrants in extreme heat and “unsuitable vehicles” and did not give the passengers rest or food, dpa reported.
They allegedly charged 4,000-5,000 euros ($4,357-$5,446) per person. The route taken by the smugglers went through Hungary, Austria, the Czech Republic and ultimately into Germany.
Wealthy Germany is a top destination for migrants from around the world, but shelters in the country have been filling up. The government is under pressure to curb migration and speed up deportations of rejected asylum-seekers.
In recent weeks, Germany also started carrying out systematic checks on its borders with Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland to keep unauthorized migrants from entering the country.
___
Follow AP’s coverage of migration issues at https://apnews.com/hub/migration
veryGood! (132)
Related
- Will Trump curb transgender rights? After election, community prepares for worst
- Johnny Bananas and Other Challenge Stars Reveal Why the Victory Means More Than the Cash Prize
- Jana Duggar Reveals Move to New State After Wedding to Stephen Wissmann
- Jonathan Bailey's Fate on Bridgerton Season 4 Revealed
- How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
- Her name was on a signature petition to be a Cornel West elector. Her question: What’s an elector?
- Jonathan Bailey Has a NSFW Confession About His Prosthetic Penis for TV
- Extreme heat at Colorado airshow sickens about 100 people with 10 hospitalized, officials say
- ‘Heretic’ and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again
- Who plays Emily, Sylvie, Gabriel and Camille in 'Emily in Paris'? See full Season 4 cast
Ranking
- ‘Heretic’ and Hugh Grant debut with $11 million, but ‘Venom: The Last Dance’ tops box office again
- Make eye exams part of the back-to-school checklist. Your kids and their teachers will thank you
- Taylor Swift praises Post Malone, 'Fortnight' collaborator, for his 'F-1 Trillion' album
- The Bama Rush obsession is real: Inside the phenomena of OOTDs, sorority recruitment
- Trump is likely to name a loyalist as Pentagon chief after tumultuous first term
- US official says Mideast mediators are preparing for implementation of cease-fire deal in advance
- Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Secord fights on: once in Vietnam, now within family
- Springtime Rain Crucial for Getting Wintertime Snowmelt to the Colorado River, Study Finds
Recommendation
-
New Orleans marks with parade the 64th anniversary of 4 little girls integrating city schools
-
Discarded gender and diversity books trigger a new culture clash at a Florida college
-
24 recent NFL first-round picks running out of chances heading into 2024 season
-
General Hospital's Cameron Mathison Shares Insight Into Next Chapter After Breakup With Wife Vanessa
-
2 Florida women charged after shooting death of photographer is livestreamed
-
Dirt track racer Scott Bloomquist, known for winning and swagger, dies in plane crash
-
Harris reveals good-vibes economic polices. Experts weigh in.
-
Woman arrested, charged in Elvis Presley Graceland foreclosure scheme