Spain, France crack down on migrant smuggling network

ROME

European authorities have dismantled an alleged criminal ring suspected of having smuggled over 1,700 migrants from Spain to France, Europol said Friday.

The operation, which was coordinated by French and Spanish police and supported by Europol, led to the arrest of 19 people accused of having smuggled the individuals in nearly 500 operations.​​​​​​​

In addition, authorities carried out 17 house searches and seized a semi-rigid boat, four vehicles, and about €20,000 ($21,652) in cash.

Europol said that migrants were typically picked up near train stations in the Spanish region of Catalonia and then transported to the southern French city of Marseille.

“Each member of the criminal network had a specific task. Some recruited migrants, others arranged transport and some provided temporary accommodation,” Europol said.

It added that during car smuggling operations, the criminal network used forerunner vehicles to detect potential law enforcement checkpoints along the route to help them bypass police or customs controls.

It also said that the alleged criminal network charged some €150-€250 per migrant, depending on the departure point and destination.

The smuggled migrants came from the North African Maghreb region and from the Middle East, mainly from Syria and from Sub-Saharan Africa.