Spain breaks up gang smuggling Pakistani migrants in trucks
- Europol said each person was charged between US$5,800-US$9,200 for the trip from camps in Bosnia to Italy or Spain
- Police said the migrants travelled in dangerous conditions and were forced to make holes in the vehicle’s roof to breathe
Spanish police have dismantled a smuggling ring suspected of bringing hundreds of Pakistani migrants into the European Union overland in “life-threatening conditions”, officials said on Thursday.
The smuggling group took Pakistanis from camps in Bosnia to Italy or Spain, said a statement from Europol, which was involved in the Spanish operation.
“Transported in life-threatening conditions in cars, vans or trucks, they often spend days confined with little or no supplies,” the European Union law enforcement agency said.
During the operation, which involved police from eight countries, Croatian police intercepted a truck transporting 77 Pakistani migrants in a space measuring just eight square metres (86 square feet), a Spanish police statement said.
“The migrants, including four minors, travelled in crowded and subhuman conditions, and were forced to make several holes in the roof to be able to breathe so the police action prevented what could have been a tragedy,” it said.
