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The Spanish National Police (Polica Nacional) received assistance from Europol in dismantling a criminal organization that was smuggling Syrian migrants into the EU. The investigation also included participation from French, German, and Norwegian law enforcement agencies.
The investigation found that the criminal organization, which may have been operating since 2017, was engaged in a number of illegal activities, such as the smuggling of migrants and the trafficking of drugs and weapons. The criminal network, which was well-established in a number of EU and Middle Eastern nations, used an unusually convoluted and expensive route to smuggle irregular migrants from Syria into the EU; after leaving Syria, they were transported via Sudan or the UAE to Libya. Before traveling through the Mediterranean to reach Europe, they were transported from Libya to Algeria.
The suspects assisted their unauthorized crossing of the Western Mediterranean for the last leg of their journey into Spain. Typically, Syrian nationals are transported illegally from Turkey to Greece via the Eastern Mediterranean. Despite the fact that some undocumented immigrants chose to remain in Spain, the majority of them ended up in France, Belgium, Germany, or Norway after they managed to reach Spanish soil.
What happened on the action day was.
13 places were investigated.
arrests of 15 people.
Among the items seized are two speedboats, six vehicles, electronic equipment (laptops, a tablet, a GPS, storage devices), drugs, fuel, 42 cell phones, two satellite phones, over EUR 500 000 in cash, and documents.
Nine different countries were covered by the network.
The criminal organization, which was headed by a suspect from Syria, profited from the extensive infrastructure present in the nations along the route, particularly in Lebanon, Sudan, Libya, and Algeria. The suspects planned the migration of at least 200 people through the infrequently used route from Syria through Sudan or the United Arab Emirates. The migrants were transferred from Libya to Algeria through the use of dishonest officials, who then helped arrange the passage of the migrants on fast boats to Spain. Members of the criminal organization with bases in Belgium, Germany, and Spain organized the sea crossings and facilitated the secondary movements to the target nations. For the trip, the suspects charged each passenger between EUR 7,000 and EUR 20,000.
The entire journey's logistical support was provided by the criminal network, including travel, visa requirements in some countries, airline tickets, and lodging along the way. A transfer from the arrival point on the Spanish mainland and lodging in Spain were among the extras offered by the "VIP service," which can cost up to EUR 20 000. To ensure that its unlawful operations were successful, the criminal network put in place strict security measures. The suspects had set up physical and electronic watchpoints at a number of covert locations along the coast where the undocumented migrants were supposed to be brought.
An essential part of the investigation is the exchange of information.
Information exchange was facilitated, operational coordination was provided, and analytical support was given by Europol. Throughout this 365-day investigation, a number of operational meetings were scheduled. In order to facilitate the real-time information exchange and cross-check operational information against Europol's databases in order to provide leads to investigators in the field, Europol sent teams of investigators and the lead analyst to Spain during the action week. The Spanish authorities were given extensive forensic assistance by Europol to analyze the fresh data gathered during the operational actions after the actions.
The Information Clearing House, which was established to improve the intelligence picture on organized migrant smuggling from source and transit countries, served as the foundation for a significant portion of the operational analysis. In the world of migrant smuggling, new trends and operating procedures have been identified as a result of the exchange of criminal intelligence. Investigators from national authorities receive valuable investigation leads on the scope of the criminal activity and the extensive geographic reach of such criminal network from the exchange of intelligence related to such trends and smuggling incidents discovered en route.
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