Polish prosecutors have taken down an international migrant smuggling network operating along the Poland-Belarus border, charging 36 suspects from Poland, Ukraine, Iraq, and Belarus. According to prosecutors, the group is suspected of organizing the illegal migration of Iraqis, Syrians, and Palestinians towards the German border, funneling millions of dollars to armed groups like Hezbollah.
The investigation, led by the EU’s criminal justice agency Eurojust with support from German and Dutch police, uncovered two alleged leaders of the network: Syrian Ahmad R., residing in Germany, and Mohammed A., also known as Abu Josef. Ahmad R., known as Abu Noh, was arrested in late April, as per Polish prosecutors.
The suspects are accused of smuggling Yemeni, Syrian, and Iranian migrants via the Balkans as well. The investigation revealed a total of approximately $581 million in the organization’s accounts, with at least $30 million transferred to Hezbollah and the radical Palestinian organization Islamic Jihad. Additionally, more than $13 million was reportedly funneled to a site under US sanctions.
Migrant smuggling remains a lucrative and well-organized business, especially in border regions, with some networks transporting thousands of migrants into Europe annually. Unlike human trafficking, migrant smuggling primarily involves financial gain rather than the exploitation of victims.
The crisis at the Poland-Belarus border has escalated tensions, with Western countries accusing Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko of attempting to destabilize the EU by smuggling migrants across the border. Since August 2021, tens of thousands of mainly Middle Eastern migrants have crossed or attempted to cross the EU’s external border into Latvia, Lithuania, or Poland, leading to a humanitarian crisis in the region.