Eight people have been arrested in France, Germany and Hungary after police dismantled a Vietnamese migrant smuggling network that brought people into the EU by air and on to the UK in small boats.
The operation, led by France and supported by Europol, took place on 30 March and involved law enforcement and judicial authorities in Germany and Hungary, Europol announced on Thursday.
The group advertised its services on social media to Vietnamese nationals seeking to reach the UK.
Migrants entered the Schengen area — Europe’s passport-free travel zone — using Hungarian-issued short-stay visas or residence permits before flying to France.
They were housed in accommodation in the Paris region and later taken to northern France, before crossing to the UK on small inflatable boats.
The final crossing was organised by a connected Kurdish-Iraqi smuggling network operating in northern France.
Arrests, searches and seizures
Six suspects were arrested in France, with one arrest each in Germany and Hungary, Europol said.
A suspected network leader was arrested in Germany under a European Arrest Warrant — a cross-border order used to detain and surrender suspects within the EU — and a “high-level organiser” was arrested in Hungary before the main action day.
Officers carried out seven house searches in France and seized around 20 passports, three vehicles, electronic devices and €10,000 in cash.
The network transported at least 15 migrants per month and charged up to €22,000 per person for the full journey, generating up to €3 million in revenue over the past years.
An underground banking system was used to move funds between Europe and Vietnam.
Europol said it supported the investigation by facilitating information exchange, providing analytical help and coordinating the operation, including deploying an expert to France to help with real-time checks against its databases.
