Raids against people smugglers in Berlin and Brandenburg
The Berlin Federal Police, together with the Brandenburg police, have carried out several raids against a gang of people smugglers. Three arrest warrants were executed against members of the smuggling gang, a police spokeswoman said. The searches and arrests were carried out in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Luckenwalde and Dallgow-Döberitz. A gang of ten people is accused of smuggling people into Germany on a commercial basis. Some of the group are also alleged to have trafficked drugs.
The suspects are alleged to have smuggled people across the Balkan route on the back of transports under inhumane conditions. One of the suspected smugglers, a 30-year-old man, was arrested in Lichtenberg. He is said to have been primarily involved in the organization. In some cases, he is also said to have driven the vehicles himself.
The raids conducted by the Berlin Federal Police and Brandenburg police not only resulted in the arrest of a 30-year-old smuggler in Lichtenberg but also disrupted the operations of a larger criminal network involved in people smuggling. The police are now investigating if this smuggler, who was the main organizer, was also involved in the traffic of illegal drugs.
Source: www.dpa.com
