Members of Illegal Migration Gang Caught in Slovenia

By , 19 Nov 2021, 14:55 PM News
Members of Illegal Migration Gang Caught in Slovenia Photo: Slovenian Police

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STA, 19 November 2021 - The Maribor criminal police have tracked down an international criminal gang involved in illegal migration in what was a lengthy international investigation. A number of suspects were arrested and detained in Slovenia, whereas the gang's leader was caught in Poland.

The investigation, which included criminal police forces from Slovenia, Austria, Poland and Hungary and was coordinated by Slovenian investigators, uncovered an illegal migration route running from Croatia or Hungary to Austria or Italy with Slovenia being a nexus point.

The investigation was launched when the police started investigating last year's arrival of a Tunisian citizen in Slovenia. The individual resided in the Maribor area without a residence permit, said the Maribor Police Department on Friday.

The Tunisian organised a small-scale migrant smuggling operation already in 2019. The police then established reasonable grounds to suspect that the foreigner returned to Slovenia to continue with this unlawful activity, so covert investigative measures were launched against him.

The investigation established that the Tunisian contracted a number of drivers, citizens of Poland, Ukraine, Pakistan and Tunisia, to help him smuggle migrants.

He was the leader of the gang, which carried out at least ten smuggling operations during the investigation. A minimum of 58 foreigners from Iraq, Pakistan and China were brought to Slovenia by the gang members.

The foreigners were required to pay some EUR 5,500 per person to get to the EU, meaning the criminal organisation obtained at least EUR 319,000 in unlawful financial gain from migrant smuggling.

The five gang members that were caught in Slovenia have been brought before investigating judges. All of them are remanded in custody.

The gang leader meanwhile fled Slovenia and was caught in Poland under a European arrest warrant. Another two gang members, Syrian citizens who have been residing in Slovenia, were arrested in the Maribor area on Thursday.

Following house searches and other activities carried out in line with the criminal procedure act, criminal charges will be brought against them, the police said.

The offence of illegally transporting foreigners in a criminal organisation is punishable by three to 15 years in prison and a fine.

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