A people trafficking gang alleged to have charged up to $22,000 to smuggle migrants from Syria to Europe have been arrested.
Spanish police have detained 16 Syrians and three Moroccans who are believed to be part of a larger criminal network that charged for what has been described as a “VIP” service.
This network smuggled Syrians from their country to Sudan, Libya and Algeria and then across the Mediterranean to Spain before they were taken to northern Europe, mainly Norway and Germany.
The arrests were made as part of an operation by the Spanish National Police and German Federal Police, said Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency.
“The criminal network is suspected of organising over 68 illegal transfers, and the consequent smuggling of more than 550 Syrian migrants into the EU,” said Europol.
Five vehicles, smartphones, computers and memory sticks along with about €10,000 ($11,000) in cash and various documents were seized.
According to Europol, the apprehended gang was closely connected to other traffickers smuggling people from Asia and Africa towards Europe.
The close-knit network would transfer migrants between traffickers from one country to another and also arrange the collection and distribution of criminal profits using the Hawala banking system.
The total price for the journey from Syria to the final European destination totalled more than €20,000 ($22,000), says Europol.
The agency said migrants paid €4,000 ($4,400) to travel by air from Beirut to Egypt and €3500 ($3850) to get from there to Algeria via Libya and Tunis overland.
They were then charged €10,000 ($11,000) to be taken from the Algerian to Almeria and Murcia in Spain by and then via land to the cities Madrid, Cuenca and Toledo.
This was described as a “VIP service” by Europol that included a transfer from the arrival point on the Spanish mainland, as well as accommodation there, and took an “unusually long and expensive route”.
In Libya, the smugglers allegedly used corrupt officials to arrange the transfer to Algeria, where the migrants were transported to Spain on high-speed boats.
“The criminal network implemented stringent security measures to ensure the successful outcome of its illegal operations,” said the agency.
“The suspects had placed physical and video surveillance at several clandestine points along the coast where the irregular migrants were expected to be brought.”
Once in Spain, they were then charged up to €2,000 ($2,200) to be taken from Germany to Norway.
Europol said those being smuggled were kept in “unsanitary conditions, putting migrants’ health at risk from their clandestine entry into Spain until their departure towards their final destination via land or air”.
The suspects are alleged to have facilitated the transferral of migrants to Madrid airport while arranging tickets to destinations in Western and Northern Europe, mainly Germany and Norway.
Last month, a police operation led to the arrest of 15 people who are suspected of being part of the broader smuggling network, led by a Syrian.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
SPECS
Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club
- 1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
- 2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
- 3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
- 4th ODI, Sunday, April 16
Squads:
- UAE: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
- Zimbabwe: Peter Moor (captain), Solomon Mire, Brian Chari, Regis Chakabva, Sean Williams, Timycen Maruma, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Kyle Jarvis, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Craig Ervine, Brandon Mavuta, Ainsley Ndlovu, Tony Munyonga, Elton Chigumbura
TECH%20SPECS%3A%20APPLE%20IPHONE%2014%20PLUS
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'Young girls thinking of big ideas'
Words come easy for aspiring writer Afra Al Muhairb. The business side of books, on the other hand, is entirely foreign to the 16-year-old Emirati. So, she followed her father’s advice and enroled in the Abu Dhabi Education Council’s summer entrepreneurship course at Abu Dhabi University hoping to pick up a few new skills.
“Most of us have this dream of opening a business,” said Afra, referring to her peers are “young girls thinking of big ideas.”
In the three-week class, pupils are challenged to come up with a business and develop an operational and marketing plan to support their idea. But, the learning goes far beyond sales and branding, said teacher Sonia Elhaj.
“It’s not only about starting up a business, it’s all the meta skills that goes with it -- building self confidence, communication,” said Ms Elhaj. “It’s a way to coach them and to harness ideas and to allow them to be creative. They are really hungry to do this and be heard. They are so happy to be actually doing something, to be engaged in creating something new, not only sitting and listening and getting new information and new knowledge. Now they are applying that knowledge.”
Afra’s team decided to focus their business idea on a restaurant modelled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Each level would have a different international cuisine and all the meat would be halal. The pupils thought of this after discussing a common problem they face when travelling abroad.
“Sometimes we find the struggle of finding halal food, so we just eat fish and cheese, so it’s hard for us to spend 20 days with fish and cheese,” said Afra. “So we made this tower so every person who comes – from Africa, from America – they will find the right food to eat.”
rpennington@thenational.ae
Company profile
Name: Tharb
Started: December 2016
Founder: Eisa Alsubousi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: Luxury leather goods
Initial investment: Dh150,000 from personal savings
