Seven arrested in major international investigation into human smuggling

In an international investigation into human smuggling, the Royal Dutch Marechaussee and police in the Netherlands have arrested seven people. Searches and arrests were made in Helmond, Dongen and Tilburg.

The operation is believed to have been targeted by a large network of smugglers who ship migrants across the Channel to England. “Large quantities” of marine equipment, such as life jackets and boats, were found during job searches. “Maybe they intended to send migrants to the Channel in exchange for thousands of euros,” Marichossi says. Thousands of migrants may have been smuggled through the network.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that in the same investigation in Germany twenty people were arrested and buildings were searched. Nine inflatable boats, five motorcycles and one hundred life jackets were found in the Osnabrück region.

According to the magazine, searches were conducted in England, France and Belgium. A total of 900 officers are said to have taken part in the operation. The European judicial organization Eurojust will hold a press conference tomorrow morning.

Many immigrants venture to England from France. The British government wants to discourage this and announced last April that migrants could be brought to Rwanda pending their asylum applications. The immigration plan encountered great resistance from human rights organizations.