Authorities have arrested two Syrian men on human
trafficking charges for smuggling hundreds of refugees into the
Netherlands from Austria, Greece and Hungary, a news agency in the
Netherlands reported.
Police took into custody a 35-year-old Syrian man, who is also a
refugee and the prime suspect in the case, and his 26-year-old cousin,
authorities have said.
The two men operated out of the Dutch city of Eindhoven, and were found by the Royal Marechaussee, a military police force in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Office of the Public Prosecutor, along with authorities in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the European Police Office, headed the investigation, which has been going on for about a year.
The suspects are thought to have transported hundreds of refugees from Syria, with recent trips made on an almost a daily basis. While the conditions of the transportation were not immediately available, it is believed all the refugees made it through the trips alive. The prime suspect is believed to have earned between 60,000 and 120,000 euros from smuggling.
The suspects would have people working for them in Syria look for refugees in the war-torn country who wanted to leave for Europe, police said. These refugees would be gathered and taken to various points in Athens, Budapest, Milan and Vienna, where the two suspects would be waiting.
When a sizeable group was gathered, the 35-year-old prime suspect would be notified and he would send either a rental car or minivan to get the refugees. Police said the suspects used rentals so they couldn’t be as easily detected.
Read more: Syrian Refugee Smugglers Arrested: Human Trafficking Charges In Netherlands Alleged After Hundreds Illegaly Taken To Holland, Police Say
The two men operated out of the Dutch city of Eindhoven, and were found by the Royal Marechaussee, a military police force in the Netherlands. The Dutch National Office of the Public Prosecutor, along with authorities in Austria, Germany, Hungary, Italy and the European Police Office, headed the investigation, which has been going on for about a year.
The suspects are thought to have transported hundreds of refugees from Syria, with recent trips made on an almost a daily basis. While the conditions of the transportation were not immediately available, it is believed all the refugees made it through the trips alive. The prime suspect is believed to have earned between 60,000 and 120,000 euros from smuggling.
The suspects would have people working for them in Syria look for refugees in the war-torn country who wanted to leave for Europe, police said. These refugees would be gathered and taken to various points in Athens, Budapest, Milan and Vienna, where the two suspects would be waiting.
When a sizeable group was gathered, the 35-year-old prime suspect would be notified and he would send either a rental car or minivan to get the refugees. Police said the suspects used rentals so they couldn’t be as easily detected.
Read more: Syrian Refugee Smugglers Arrested: Human Trafficking Charges In Netherlands Alleged After Hundreds Illegaly Taken To Holland, Police Say
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