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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Polish Authorities Arrest 8 in Latest Migrant Smuggling Sting

On July 17, Europol revealed that a series of raids resulted in the arrests of members of an organized crime group believed to have smuggled migrants into Poland.

The Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna) and the Police Central Bureau of Investigation (Centralne Biuro Śledcze Policji) acted with the support of Europol against the organized crime group which is believed to have smuggled more than 150 migrants into Poland en route to Western Europe, earning millions in the process. 

The Polish authorities carried out a series of coordinated raids on 23 June, resulting in the arrest of 8 individuals – 7 Polish nationals and one Vietnamese national. These arrests are the follow-up of an action which took place November 2019 and which saw 10 other members of the same organized crime group apprehended. 

Active since July 2018, this organized crime group facilitated the illegal border crossing of non-EU citizens into Poland en route to Western Europe. The migrants paid up to $20,000 for this leg of their journey. The criminal facilitators arranged for the migrants to be smuggled for the most part in trucks with hidden compartments or concealed among commodities in trailers. A number of migrants were discovered hidden inside altered heating units.

This criminal network of facilitators was well established, with different cells which would arrange for the migrants to be hidden in safe houses while awaiting to be transferred to their destination country. 

Throughout the investigation, Europol’s European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC) provided technical expertise and operational analysis support, as well as preparing several intelligence reports and facilitating the exchange of information. One of its experts was deployed to Poland on the action day to support the authorities with the crosschecking of information in real-time against Europol’s databases.

Read more at Europol

Polish Authorities Arrest 8 in Latest Migrant Smuggling Sting Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Today
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.
Homeland Security Today
Homeland Security Todayhttp://www.hstoday.us
The Government Technology & Services Coalition's Homeland Security Today (HSToday) is the premier news and information resource for the homeland security community, dedicated to elevating the discussions and insights that can support a safe and secure nation. A non-profit magazine and media platform, HSToday provides readers with the whole story, placing facts and comments in context to inform debate and drive realistic solutions to some of the nation’s most vexing security challenges.

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