German Police Arrest Ten Suspects in International Human Smuggling Network Raids

German police arrested ten people this morning in raids in eight states. They are suspected of being part of an international human smuggling network.

Two lawyers from Cologne are the main suspects. They are said to have abused the immigration law and brought Chinese and Arabs to Germany. The Public Prosecution Service is also investigating whether they bribed immigration service workers.

In anticipation of a permanent residence permit, people smugglers have paid between 30,000 and 350,000 euros to the lawyers. “Unlike most of the people who are trafficked by smugglers, they are mostly rich people now,” prosecutor Julius Sterzel told the DPA news agency .

According to the police, they set up sham companies with the money the trafficked people paid the lawyers. They also paid a monthly salary from that money to those who were smuggled.

This made it appear as if they worked in Germany and were being paid by a German company. This makes it easier to get a residence permit. The lawyers made a lot of money from this, according to the police.

The police are investigating a total of 38 people who may be involved in the smuggling network. 147 people smugglers are also being investigated. Often they also brought their families with them to Germany. As a result, 350 residence permits were issued.

In the morning, a team of a thousand police officers and ten prosecutors attacked villas, law offices and shops in different parts of Germany. Berlin was also raided. According to the police, “extensive evidence” and 210,000 euros in cash were seized.

The focus of the research was on the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the western part of Germany. The ten suspects were arrested there. But raids were also carried out in seven other states, including Hamburg and Berlin.

Human smuggling means helping people enter Germany illegally, usually for a fee. This is punishable under German law. For professional smuggling, a prison sentence of 1 to 15 years can be imposed.

In 2022 – the most recent figures – the German government recorded almost 5,000 cases of human smuggling in the country. That represented an increase of almost 30 percent compared to the previous year. According to the report, this is because irregular migration to Europe has increased significantly. Criminals also act “very professionally” and are increasingly willing to take serious risks.