Agency Report –
German and Belgian officers have detained seven people suspected of membership in a gang that smuggled almost 300 migrants to Germany, German police said on Tuesday.
Six people were arrested in Belgium on outstanding arrest warrants, while one person was detained in Germany.
According to prosecutors in Bavaria, German authorities simultaneously raided multiple flats in the Ansbach district and the eastern city of Leipzig.
Investigators believe the gang has brought close to 300 migrants to Germany by car, mostly via Austria and Poland.
Prosecutors did not reveal further details of the case, citing the ongoing investigation.
Most of the suspected gang members are based in Belgium, according to initial findings.
The group came to the attention of the authorities during a police check on the German-Austrian border in September, when a stateless driver presented suspicious documents.
According to prosecutors, investigators then found evidence on his mobile phone suggesting the man could have smuggled three migrants across the border and dropped them off in Germany on the day of the check.
Following the arrests in Belgium, the suspects are to be extradited to Germany, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
