Suspected Human Smuggler Arrested for Trafficking 418 Migrants

A 38-year-old Iraqi man is accused of leading a smuggling operation that brought hundreds of migrants into Germany illegally over two years.

The suspect was apprehended in Bavaria under a European arrest warrant requested by the Dresden prosecutor's office.
He is accused of collaborating with at least five accomplices to smuggle 418 migrants from Syria, Iraq, and Turkey into Germany via Poland and the Czech Republic between November 2021 and January 2024.
The operation allegedly generated over €600,000 in smuggling fees collected from migrants seeking entry into Germany.
The suspect has been charged with 31 counts of organized and commercial human smuggling and is currently in pre-trial detention.
Authorities continue to investigate the broader smuggling network, some members of which have already been convicted.