9 arrested for smuggling Vietnamese migrants across Europe
Nine people have been arrested in raids in Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland and Hungary in connection with suspected human trafficking of Vietnamese migrants, according to a press release issued by Europol on Friday. The investigation started in March 2021 after Vietnamese refugees were discovered in a safehouse in the Belgian municipality of Wichelen, but the Czech Republic will prosecute the human trafficking group, the Belgian federal police reports.
Nine locations in the five countries were searched between June 20 and 22. Several motor vehicles and cash amounting to several hundred thousand Czech crowns were seized.
The European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC), linked to European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation Europol and the EU agency for judicial cooperation in criminal matters Eurojust, coordinated investigations in the European Member States. In Belgium, the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office and the Federal Judicial Police handled the case.
The criminal gang has allegedly been smuggling Vietnamese migrants into Europe since March 2021, according to Europol. The migrants would arrive by plane to Europe under a work visa delivered for one specific country. Once in Europe, the victims were smuggled across Europe in a car or inflatable motorboat to reach their final destination, usually France or the United Kingdom. It is unclear how many migrants are involved.
The investigation started in the Belgian province of East Flanders, according to the Belgian public prosecutor and the federal police. "In March 2021 the local police of the police zone Wetteren/Laarne/Wichelen discovered a so-called safehouse for Vietnamese refugees. The federal judicial police of East Flanders then launched an investigation, after which the detectives were soon able to uncover an international smuggling network. However, the criminal group had spread to various European countries in Western and Eastern Europe. The suspects are mainly of Vietnamese origin, but two Ukrainian men were also involved. The main suspect resided in Germany, the other members of the group resided in Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Belgium."
The smuggling ring organised the victims' entire trip from Vietnam to northern France, where they were handed over to other criminal groups who organised the crossing to the UK. "The Vietnamese victims entered the EU through Hungary using false or fraudulently obtained visas, after which they were transported by the trafficking gang to various European countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Belgium to be housed in safehouses. The victims sometimes stayed in the safe houses for weeks or even months before being smuggled further into northern France," said the Belgian federal police.
The smuggling ring organised the victims' entire trip from Vietnam to northern France, where they were handed over to other criminal groups who organised the crossing to the UK. "The Vietnamese victims entered the EU through Hungary using false or fraudulently obtained visas, after which they were transported by the trafficking gang to various European countries such as Germany, the Czech Republic, France and Belgium to be housed in safehouses. The victims sometimes stayed in the safe houses for weeks or even months before being smuggled further into northern France," said the Belgian federal police. Besides the safehouse in Wichelen, another safehouse was found in the Belgian city of Leuven. The smuggling ring also had an operating base in the Belgian municipality Leopoldsburg.
Europol and Eurojust have decided that the Czech Republic will prosecute the human trafficking group. The suspects risk up to eight years in prison and hefty fines.
(KOR)
© BEN STANSALL / AFP