Spain arrests 15 people involved in smuggling people from Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Spanish police announced on Tuesday the arrest of a 15-member gang led by a Syrian involved in smuggling people from Syria to Spain, a report by The Guardian read.
The gang, led by a Syrian suspect, had been in operation since 2017 and was also allegedly involved in smuggling firearms and drugs, the Spanish police.
The arrest came after a year-long investigation in coordination with the Europol and dozens of police officers from France, Norway and Germany. They uncovered a network of alleged people-smuggling cells across north Africa and northern Europe as well as the main nerve center of the gang in southern Spain.
Syrian refugees who endeavour to get to Europe typically go through Turkey and Greece but the route the alleged gang had offered, at up to €20,000 (£17,000) per person, took a circuitous route over thousands of kilometres. A journey from Syria to Khartoum, Sudan, alone is about 3,000km.
The Spanish Police said the suspects had organized the movement of 200 people through a long route passing through Sudan with criminal cells based in Belgium, Germany and Spain coordinating the sea crossings and onward transport to northern Europe.
“Well-established in several EU and Middle Eastern countries, the criminal network used an unusually long and expensive route to smuggle irregular migrants from Syria into the EU; starting in Syria, irregular migrants were taken via Sudan or the UAE towards Libya. From Libya they were taken to Algeria, before the journey into Europe via the Mediterranean,” said Europol.
Police found a “widespread infrastructure” run by the gang across Lebanon, Sudan, Libya and Algeria, none of the countries currently involved in the EU’s strategy to stem irregular migration and deaths in the Mediterranean.
There are no accurate statistics on the number of Syrian young men who immigrate monthly, but dozens appear on social media after arriving in countries such as Lebanon and Algeria heading to European countries.
Emigrating from Syria is no longer solely driven by a desire to improve one’s life, but has become a matter of escaping death and ensuring survival. As a result, Syria has lost many of its youth and professionals, as well as millions of other citizens.
War in Syria has created the largest refugee and displacement crisis of our, affecting millions of people and spilling into surrounding countries.