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During the raid, officials seized, among other things, several thousand euros and identity papers (symbol image)
Photo: Rene Traut / IMAGO
An employee of the Cologne immigration office is said to be part of a primarily Syrian gang of smugglers.
The woman is said to have issued identity papers to the smugglers against payment.
These are said to have been sold by the smugglers to interested parties.
The woman was arrested on Thursday during a raid by investigators in North Rhine-Westphalia against a suspected gang of smugglers.
There are a total of eleven suspects, three of whom the officials arrested.
One of them was the employee.
Together with the federal police, the investigators searched a total of twelve apartments and offices in the Cologne, Gelsenkirchen and Limburg area.
This was announced by the federal police and the Cologne public prosecutor's office in a joint press release.
The forged papers were intended to make it easier for those wishing to enter the country to leave their home country
The suspects, who mainly come from Syria, are said to have helped foreigners to enter Germany, it was said.
They are said to have received several thousand euros per smuggling.
In return, they would have delivered illegally issued ID cards to people abroad via middlemen.
With these ID cards, those wishing to enter Germany could have shown a right of residence in Germany when they left their home country.
Before entering Germany, those entering Germany are said to have disposed of their ID cards in order to be able to apply for asylum here.
So far, the federal police have identified 26 such cases.
The employee of the immigration office is said to have supported the gang by issuing so-called fictional certificates and passports for those wishing to enter the country and handing them over to the smugglers for a fee.
Around 12,000 euros and several mobile phones, laptops, computers and identity documents were confiscated during the searches on Thursday.
The investigations are ongoing.
has/AFP
