LOC20:58
17:58 GMT
BRUSSELS, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- Nine persons were arrested for people smuggling
in the Belgian town of Asse on Tuesday, Europol, the European Police Office,
said here in a statement.
Those arrested belong to a network of criminals, mainly from Iraq,
suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants from Belgium to the United Kingdom,
it noted.
It is believed that the network was responsible for the smuggling of
hundreds of immigrants. The immigrants paid 1500 euro per person in order to
be concealed in the back of lorries without any guarantee of a safe arrival in
the UK.
The immigrants originated from countries such as Afghanistan, China, Iraq
and Vietnam. They were brought by an Indian smuggling network during the night
to lorry parks. The Iraqi smuggling network then took responsibility for them.
The drivers were not aware that their lorries were being used in this way.
(end).
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