The number of criminal cases involving foreign traffickers has increased dramatically in the last few years.Continue reading
The activities of people smugglers operating within the framework of organized crime pose a threat to the security of the whole of Europe, which is why it is of the utmost importance to take decisive action against them, the Parliamentary Secretary of State of the Ministry of the Interior said in Budapest on Tuesday.
Bence Rétvári recalled at the farewell ceremony of the Hungarian police contingent leaving for Serbia that the mission was launched in January this year in cooperation between Hungarian, Austrian and Serbian police forces, in which police officers are deployed on Serbia’s southern borders to combat illegal migration and the human trafficking that facilitates it.
The Secretary of State stressed that
human trafficking has recently become one of the main sources of income for organized criminal groups, who can earn up to several million forints by smuggling an illegal migrant into Western Europe.
He said that neither the number of illegal migrants nor the number of people smugglers is decreasing, and some people are already turning to this form of crime at a very young age, with one example of a 14-year-old smuggler.
Bence Rétvári pointed out that organized crime rings can pocket an estimated HUF 5.7 million (EUR 15,200) for bringing an illegal migrant from Turkey to Germany. “This is why the trilateral agreement between Austria, Hungary and Serbia is so important, as it enables us to fight this form of crime not only in Hungary, but also on Serbia’s southern border,” Bence Rétvári emphasized.
The Secretary of State said that
Austria, which is no longer able to absorb the masses of migrants, vetoed the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the Schengen area because these two states were unable to combat illegal migration and the activities of people smugglers effectively enough.
Thus, the activities of Hungarian police officers, who also use thermal imaging cameras and night vision devices, are of paramount importance to protect Europe’s security.
The migratory pressure on Hungary’s southern border is not easing, with hundreds or even thousands of illegal immigrants arriving every week, even in winter, one reason being the relatively mild winter in the region this year. It is also not uncommon for migrants to try to cross the border by hiding in the back of lorries, which can be life-threatening.
Last weekend, forty border crossers were found crammed into the back of an Austrian lorry by police at the Hungarian-Romanian border in Nagylak, who claimed to be Bangladeshi, Lebanese and Pakistani nationals. According to a video released of the event, the people were crammed into pallets in the truck, in a cavity less than a meter high.
Furthermore, police officers have dealt with 536 border crossers over the past weekend in Hungary. According to statistics on the police website, 168 illegal aliens were arrested and escorted through the temporary security border on Friday, 197 on Saturday and 150 on Sunday. In the past week, 1314 border crossers were arrested and escorted back into the country.
Featured photo via MTI/Illyés Tibor
