After two years of relentless investigation, Europol—working closely with French and Italian authorities—has dismantled a sprawling criminal network accused of smuggling migrants into Western Europe. On April 1st, a coordinated operation led to the arrest of 24 suspects tied to the organization, which funneled people illegally into France and Italy through the notorious Balkan route.
Authorities didn’t stop there. As the investigation unfolded, another 40 individuals were flagged as having a hand in transporting migrants across Schengen borders. Raids were carried out at multiple properties linked to gang operatives, further unraveling the web of this cross-border smuggling scheme.
Europol revealed that the network’s masterminds were based in an undisclosed EU country, but their operation stretched far and wide. Key players in France’s Alsace region played a pivotal role, recruiting drivers from Strasbourg and Paris. These drivers used rental vehicles to move migrants discreetly across national lines. The journey often began in Serbia, with migrants later slipping into EU countries like Hungary, Slovenia, or Austria before reaching their final destinations.
To keep their tracks covered, the organization operated in a compartmentalized manner—each segment only knew its piece of the puzzle, a tactic designed to limit damage in the event of arrests.
The operation, which also involved law enforcement from Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Serbia, and Italy, marks a major win for Europol’s fight against organized human trafficking. The agency emphasized the importance of international collaboration in breaking up the complex smuggling pipeline and preventing further exploitation of vulnerable people seeking entry into the EU.
