More than 400 federal police officers were involved in the attack against an international group of people smugglers in several federal states.
They arrested several suspects and searched buildings in Berlin, Lower Saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse.
The public prosecutor in Kempten accuses 19 suspects between the ages of 21 and 44 of having smuggled people into Germany via the so-called Balkan route for large sums since at least April 2019.
The alleged 140 refugees come mainly from Syria.
According to the information, the federal police discovered the gang when they arrested a smuggler driver on Autobahn 7 near Füssen near the border with Austria in August 2019.
Together with investigators from several European countries, the Kempten public prosecutor's office was able to locate and arrest the alleged head of the gang in Austria.
According to the public prosecutor's office, the 19 suspects are Syrian, Lebanese and Libyan nationals.
Scouts warned of controls
The public prosecutor said that the smugglers proceeded very systematically and very professionally.
They had used cars that drove ahead of the smugglers and reported police controls.
The refugees often crossed the border on foot.
The gang leader coordinated the whole thing on his smartphone from a safe distance.
During the operation on Tuesday, the investigators reportedly carried out eleven search warrants and five of seven arrest warrants.
They therefore secured extensive evidence, including the smartphones used for the smuggling.
These would now be evaluated, it said.
Icon: The mirror
wit / dpa
