A suspected organiser of a people-smuggling network that allegedly moved 625 migrants into Europe has been arrested in Belgrade after German and Serbian authorities worked together under the coordination of Eurojust and Europol.
The suspect was detained on 5 August and is believed to have worked with others to smuggle people into Germany and other Western European countries via the Balkan route, Eurojust informed in a release on Friday.
The group allegedly brought Syrian nationals into the European Union from Serbia via Hungary or from Bosnia and Herzegovina via Croatia, before transporting them onwards in cars, vans or trucks through countries including Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland or Austria.
The network charged between €2,000 and €10,000 per person, Eurojust said.
The suspect is alleged to have played a central role from his residence in Serbia, including transporting people to Sombor in northern Serbia and handing them over to other members of the network.
He is also suspected of facilitating movement from Serbia into Hungary.
Between June 2023 and June 2024, he is suspected of involvement in at least 37 smuggling operations.
Wider operation across several countries
The arrest formed part of a wider operation targeting other members of the same network in Germany and Serbia, Eurojust said, linking to a related Europol announcement.
Five additional suspected members were arrested during coordinated actions in Germany, the Netherlands, and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2025.
Eurojust said it supported the investigation through a joint investigation team — a formal framework that allows prosecutors and investigators in different countries to share information and co-ordinate actions — and said its Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project helped cooperation between the German and Serbian authorities.
Europol noted its European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling co-ordinated an operational taskforce during the investigation, helped participating countries share intelligence, and provided operational analysis.
