Image: ROBERT JAEGER (APA)
60 cases in which around 230 people were illegally smuggled to Austria or Germany between September 2022 and February 2023 could be attributed to the smuggler ring. Cash from the smuggling and five mobile phones were seized from the suspects (aged between 19 and 31). Only two suspects, who are hierarchically low in the criminal organization, confessed to the crimes, according to the Ministry of the Interior in a broadcast on Saturday. The people involved in the organization of the crime therefore rejected all allegations. The file is with the public prosecutor’s office in Salzburg.
Last December, the youngest member of the criminal organization was caught red-handed when he was being dragged onto an ÖBB train. This was followed by extensive investigations, which led to seven house searches and seven arrests. One member of the criminal group is currently being held in Hungary.
“We must and will continue to fight organized crime, people smuggling and the associated abuse of asylum with all vehemence. The present case shows once again the necessary and functioning cooperation between the German, Hungarian and Austrian investigative authorities,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) in a broadcast on Saturday.
Source: Nachrichten
