More than 350 people have been arrested in operations across 28 countries carried out against suspected people traffickers who ferry migrants into Europe, police confirmed on Friday.
European and Turkish police forces carried out the raids and also detained people at a number of border crossings.
The Balkan route is one of the world's most notorious people smuggling passages. People who often started their trips in the Middle East and Africa are taken from Turkey into the Balkans and often on to countries in the European Union.
Most of the 382 people arrested in the raids last month face accusations of migrant, firearms or drug smuggling, Europol said.
Thousands of lorries take the Balkans route into the EU, carrying different goods, including food and construction material.
At the Bulgarian checkpoint of Kapitan Andreevo on the border with Turkey, a migrant was found hidden in the roof of a lorry. About 1,500 lorries enter the EU at the crossing every day.
As well as the arrests, 2 476 attempted illegal entries were detected.
Other European countries also provided criminal intelligence.
In the mass raids, officers seized 106 firearms as well as drugs including cannabis and cocaine, Europol said.
The law enforcement organisation added that multinational criminal organisations source weapons predominantly from the western Balkans, “where human resources with expertise in firearms are widely available”.
The firearms are then trafficked into the EU — mainly to Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Spain.
Criminal networks are then able to exchange arms for drugs and use weapons “to gain and maintain control over lucrative drug markets”, Europol said.
KEY%20DATES%20IN%20AMAZON'S%20HISTORY
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Company%20Profile
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In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Founders: Ines Mena, Claudia Ribas, Simona Agolini, Nourhan Hassan and Therese Hundt
Date started: January 2017, app launched November 2017
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Private/Retail/Leisure
Number of Employees: 18 employees, including full-time and flexible workers
Funding stage and size: Seed round completed Q4 2019 - $1m raised
Funders: Oman Technology Fund, 500 Startups, Vision Ventures, Seedstars, Mindshift Capital, Delta Partners Ventures, with support from the OQAL Angel Investor Network and UAE Business Angels
The Scale for Clinical Actionability of Molecular Targets
