The National Police, in collaboration with the German Federal Police and Europol, have dismantled the logistics of a criminal organization allegedly engaged in the illicit trafficking of Syrian migrants to Spain, Germany and Norway.
As reported this Sunday by the General Directorate of the body, the migratory route crossed three continents, Asia, Africa and Europe, and the migrants, who came to pay up to 20,000 euros to the organization, arrived by air, sea and land.
The network maintained alliances in each country with other criminal organizations and charged migrants by stage through the hawala method (an informal payment system parallel to the bank), which generated benefits for the organization of 2.5 million euros.
In Spain, the agents carried out seven searches in Toledo (5) and Cuenca (2) and seized 9,840 euros in cash, five vehicles, numerous mobile phones and electronic devices and various documentation.
In addition, 19 people were arrested in the operation, of which 6 were placed in pretrial detention. Of the total arrests, 14 occurred in Toledo, 2 in Cuenca, 2 in Madrid and 1 in Almería.
All the detainees are accused of belonging to a criminal organization and of favoring illegal immigration.
It is estimated that each migrant has paid 20,000 euros in total to reach Europe.
They left from the Beirut airport in Lebanon after crossing the border in Syria and reached Egypt (4,000 euros they paid for this stage).
From there they crossed by land to Libya and Tunisia until they reached Algeria (3,500 euros). From the coastal areas of Oran and Mostaganem they boarded fiber boats bound for the coasts of the peninsula (10,000 euros).
Later they were transferred by vehicle to the security apartments located in Madrid, Cuenca and Toledo, where they remained hidden in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions (250 euros per week) until they obtained documentation to stay in Spain or continue by land or air to Germany or Norway (between 1,000 and 2,000 euros).
In Spain, the network had an important infrastructure, such as seven security floors in the provinces of Toledo and Cuenca where they housed and hid Syrian migrants.
It also had a fleet of vehicles with which to pick up and transfer migrants throughout the national territory and for secondary movements to other European countries, mainly Germany or Norway.
The National Police has been able to verify 69 migratory episodes with more than 350 Syrians, which generated some 2.5 million euros in profit for the criminal network.
