a network of smugglers dismantled in several European countries

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H.Puffeney, C.Weill-Raynal, N.Tahar, J.Montupet – France 2

France Televisions

A clandestine immigration network, which organized crossings in the English Channel, was dismantled on Friday July 8. 39 people were arrested during a joint operation by the French, Belgian, German and British services.

After months of investigation, 39 smugglers were arrested in Germany, the United Kingdom and France on Friday July 8. In a searched garage in Germany, the police found hundreds of life jackets, inflatable boats and engines. Brought to the beaches of the English Channel, they were used to transport people between France and the United Kingdom.

In less than two years, the traffickers would have illegally embarked 10,000 people and generated nearly 15 million euros in profit. “The investigations revealed a vast, structured, high-level criminal organization with a well-functioning financial system, with international ramifications”, commented Carole Etienne, public prosecutor of Lille (North). The boats, bought in China, arrived in Germany after a passage in Turkey, then were transported by car to the French coast.

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