2023-06-10 17:03:09
The large-scale operation against a Kurdish gang of smugglers was coordinated by the Joint Operational Office in Vienna
Vienna (OTS) – “In the fight against the smuggling mafia, consistent investigations by our police and close international cooperation have once again led to success,” said Interior Minister Gerhard Karner on the occasion of the arrest of a 38-year-old Syrian by the German police on June 7, 2023 in Essen. The man is suspected of having smuggled more than 800 people into the EU illegally and for a fee as part of a smuggling network. The Joint Operational Office in the Federal Criminal Police Office in Vienna has been the spearhead of the internationally networked fight against smuggling for years and once again distinguished itself by being in charge of this operation.
“Police operations throughout Europe are coordinated from Vienna through the coordination office for combating the smuggling mafia. At the same time, the rapid asylum procedures at the external border, which we decided on Thursday at EU level, will severely disrupt the traffickers’ business model,” emphasized Karner.
The official action of the German Federal Police in Essen was supported by the Joint Operational Office in Vienna, which was established in Vienna in 2016. Structural investigations as well as operational measures are coordinated there across Europe. In the case of the arrested smuggler, one of the starting points of the transnational action was in Vienna. In addition to the arrest, other police measures such as house searches in Germany and Romania were taken to take action against a Kurdish smuggler network. Austrian investigators provided support through parallel campaigns throughout Austria. Further measures at international level are planned.
Questions & contact:
federal Ministry of Internal Affairs
Ministerialrat Markus Haindl, BA MA
Press Spokesman of the Federal Minister
+43 (0) 1-531 26 – 90 1021
markus.haindl@bmi.gv.at
www.bmi.gv.at
1686416635
#Strike #people #smugglers #Germany #support #Federal #Criminal #Police #Office #Vienna