The police are deployed in large numbers in Mannheim and near Karlsruhe and Worms. Several suspects are arrested in a raid against people smuggling.
In a raid against people smuggling, the police searched apartments in Mannheim and near Karlsruhe and Worms until midday. Four arrest warrants were executed, a spokesman for the Federal Police told the German Press Agency. A total of 24 apartments were searched and numerous construction sites were examined. “The people smuggling network has been broken up,” the spokesman continued.
35 people smuggled in
Investigations are being carried out against a gang of seven people smuggling people, including men and women. Criminal proceedings will be opened against the three members of the group against whom no arrest warrant has been executed. The suspects are between the ages of 38 and 65. One of the four main suspects had a company for which he recruited temporary workers under forced tenancy agreements.
According to the spokesman, the group is said to have brought people from the Middle East and Caucasus countries to Germany and made them work here without permission. A total of 35 people were smuggled in, said the spokesman. They are all in custody.
Investigations began in January
According to police, a man was checked at the airport in Frankfurt am Main in July last year when leaving the country – this provided the first clues about the smuggling group. He was able to show a passport with a visa when leaving the country – but without a work permit. During the check, however, it turned out that the man had worked in Germany, the spokesman said.
During subsequent checks at Stuttgart and Frankfurt airports, other people were reported to have exhibited the same abnormalities. Customs then checked several companies – including a concrete factory – where they found several people working illegally in Germany. The police have been investigating the group since January.
Fake identity documents
After the people entered the country with visas, the group forged EU identity cards, it was said. This enabled the people to work in Germany. They therefore received less than the minimum wage.
An investigation is therefore being carried out on suspicion of the commercial smuggling of foreigners, the employment of foreigners without residence permits and document crimes. The Karlsruhe main customs office is involved in the investigations, as it is also assumed that social security contributions have been embezzled. This also poses a violation of the law on illegal workers.
Hundreds of emergency personnel
According to the statement, 400 officers from the Federal Police and the Federal Customs Administration were involved in the raids. The investigators seized extensive evidence – including mobile phones, SIM cards, computers and other storage media. In addition, according to the Federal Police, a large number of forged documents were seized.
Source: Stern
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