Europol says three arrested over suspected Syrian migrant-smuggling network

BRUSSELS, Aug 6 - European police arrested three suspected members of Syrian smuggling networks after an operation spanning Germany and Serbia, Europol said on Thursday.

The arrests come as Europe grapples with the aftermath of last week's crisis when more than 70,000 migrants surged into the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta from Morocco.

"Investigators targeted senior members of two interconnected Syrian criminal networks believed to have organised the smuggling of more than 900 migrants into the European Union," the pan-European police body said in a statement.

Those arrested included a 26-year-old Syrian in Germany and a 31-year-old Syrian in Belgrade, along with another suspect in the Serbian capital.

The networks are accused of moving migrants into Europe since 2022 via Mediterranean crossings from Libya and along the Balkan route. REUTERS