Early in the morning on September 10, German police officers entered a multi-apartment building in Wuppertal-Barmen through a locksmith service. Their goal was to enter the apartment of an Azerbaijani man. It is alleged that this 40-year-old individual, together with his associates, brought at least 87 people to Germany by smuggling them in caravan cars.
At around 6 a.m., after the entrance door of the building on Melanchthon Street (North Rhine-Westphalia) was opened, the Federal Police's Mobile Control and Surveillance Unit arriving from Sankt Augustin entered the apartment's attic, conducted an operation against the suspected smuggler, and arrested him.
Following this, searches were conducted in the accused's apartment and car. The investigation into the case is being carried out by the Ebersbach (Saxony) Federal Police Inspection under the orders of the Görlitz prosecutor's office.
It is reported that the gang led by the Azerbaijani brought “third-country nationals from Croatia to Germany, as well as to Italy” by smuggling six times in August and September 2024. According to the charges brought against him, the Azerbaijani rented caravan cars for smuggling trips in Germany and recruited drivers. Later, these drivers transported migrants for payment.
Approximately 10-23 people were transported on each trip. They were hidden in the cars and were not allowed to get out. According to the police report, illegal migrants “were forced to relieve themselves inside the vehicle and traveled for many hours in unsafe conditions. Women and children were among them.”
The smugglers came under the focus of Saxony investigators in the summer of 2024. Alfred Klaner, spokesperson for the Ebersbach Federal Police Inspection, stated in a media statement: “The Czech police stopped a smuggling vehicle full of migrants before crossing the border and were able to arrest the driver.”
Klaner added: “Subsequent investigations revealed several more smuggling cases linked to the organizer who was arrested today.”
According to Klaner, there were two trips that crossed the Germany-Czech border, and the migrants brought on those trips were dropped off in the Bautzen area.
During the operation conducted on September 10, police officers seized evidence including several mobile phones. The accused will appear before a judge in the Wuppertal District Court.
Sarvan Səmədoğlu,
Germany
