German, Greek, North Macedonian, Serbian and Spanish police have dismantled a smuggling network that generated €45 million in profit after bringing thousands of Cuban migrants into the EU via an "unusually long" route, Europol said Monday.
Sixty-two suspected smugglers were arrested on suspicion of facilitating the journey of 5000,<> migrants from Cuba to Serbia, before taking them to Greece or North Macedonia, then to Spain and Italy, the European police agency said.
Scams, thefts, extortion
The Cubans flew to Serbia, exploiting the lack of visa requirements to enter. They were transiting through Frankfurt airport, Europol said, without giving further details. "Using a variety of routes," the smugglers then smuggled Cuban "large groups of migrants" from Serbia to Greece and North Macedonia, the agency said in a statement. They "made them walk in the dark without supplies for hours," the agency said, noting that it is an "unusually long and expensive smuggling route."
Once in Greece, migrants could either seek asylum there or continue to other European countries. They went mainly to Spain and Italy. "Criminals were taking advantage of the most vulnerable migrants, including minors, and subjecting them to scams, theft and extortion," Europol said. "In some cases, women have been transferred to other criminal groups for sexual exploitation," added the agency, which coordinated the operation with Interpol.
Members of the network used a "well-known messaging app" to make announcements about their illicit services to vulnerable customers. "For a payment of about 9000,18 euros, they organized the trip, transfers and provided false documents," said Europol, headquartered in The Hague. Hundreds of forged documents and counterfeit equipment were seized, as well as 33 properties, 144 vehicles, <> bank accounts and large sums of money in various currencies.
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The investigation revealed a complex criminal infrastructure set up in many cities in Spain, Greece and Serbia, flexible and able to adapt to changing circumstances in order to maintain their illicit activities," Europol said. The investigation was launched in October 2021 when Serbian, Greek, North Macedonian and Finnish authorities reported that increasing numbers of Cubans were trying to enter the EU illegally.
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Since the beginning of the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, the route has been changed," Europol said. Cuban migrants used to fly to Russia before crossing the Finnish border or flying to Serbia to various destinations in Europe.