BRUSSELS, Nov 27 (KUNA) -- The European law enforcement agency, Europol, Tuesday announced that a major international criminal network involved in the smuggling of Iranian migrants into the European Union has been dismantled in the UK and Spain.
Eleven suspects were arrested in Spain and seven in the United Kingdom. Spanish and British officers carried out seven house searches in Spain and 11 in the UK.
The criminal group was composed of mainly Iranian nationals living in Spain and other European Member States, said Europol, based in the Hague, in a statement.
The illegal immigrants were brought by car from Iran to Turkey and, after crossing the border to Greece, the travel continued to other countries within the EU'a Schengen area in order to take advantage of the free movement.
The clients were paying the organised crime group up to 18,000 euros for the facilitation of their illegal immigration. (end) nk.bs KUNA 272026 Nov 12NNNN