Five arrests in Jena: Large surgery against smuggling gang

Five arrests in Jena: Large surgery against smuggling gang

The federal police have carried out a comprehensive investigation against a presumably internationally operating smuggling gang that is suspected of operating gang and commercial inlets of people. The police have made a total of five arrests in cities such as Jena and Bad Sulza and also carried out 19 searches to secure evidence.

Those affected are between 23 and 57 years old and are said to take different roles within the smuggling organization. This ranges from organizers to drivers that transport the smuggling along different routes. The route included paths of Croatia and Slovakia, through the Czech Republic, with a destination in Germany, specifically in Jena, where some of the smuggles were accommodated in conspiratorial apartments.

The role of Hawala banking

A central element of these scheme business seems to be the so-called Hawala banking. It is an informal payment system based on trust and is largely anonymous. Money can be paid in with a Hawaladar, which then transmits an approval code to withdraw the money in another place. The procedures are legally controversial because they offer a way to anonymize money and disguise the origin of the funds.

In the investigation, it was found that at least 140 people have been introduced to Germany by this group since December 2022. The perpetrators asked for around 700 euros per person to smuggle from Slovakia to Germany. If you wanted to continue traveling to Europe, you had to pay up to 500 euros. With a typical trip constellation with two vehicles and ten people, this was quickly used up to 12,000 euros.

The searches that took place in several cities should be found, such as documents, electronic devices, cash and other assets. Around 340 forces of the federal police were involved in the operations, which underlines the seriousness and scope of the investigation. Special forces of the federal police were even used on one of the objects to secure and carry out the searches.

A total of five arrest warrants were enforced, which were directed against mainly Syrian and Iraqi nationals. This shows how far -reaching the networks are in smuggling crime and that both local and international connections exist.

The operation illustrates the ongoing challenges that the authorities have to deal with in dealing with smuggling activities and illegal migrations. The determined procedure of the federal police suggests that the fight against these crux remains in the focus of the security measures.