Czech police arrest 14 people suspected of human trafficking

Images of Czech police capturing alleged human traffickers in a house. - Copyright cleared

By Euronews with AP

Published on 27/06/2023 - 16:34

The suspects allegedly organized the transport of at least a thousand illegal migrants since 2021, earning at least 1 million euros.

Czech police said on Tuesday that they had broken up an international ring suspected of smuggling migrants from Turkey to Western Europe.

A total of 14 suspects, including 13 foreigners of unspecified origin and one Czech citizen, have been arrested in raids across the country in recent days, police said.

Suspects allegedly organized the transport of at least 1,000 illegal migrants since 2021, earning them at least €1 million.

The smugglers face up to 16 years in prison if tried and convicted.

The migrants have been using Czechia as a transit country on their way to the West and mostly don’t apply for asylum in the country, officials said.

In February, the Czech government lifted checks at its border with Slovakia introduced last year amid a new wave of migrants, most of them trying to reach Europe from Syria.

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