62 arrested in Europol-Interpol human trafficking crackdown

[July 24, 2023]  AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Law enforcement from five countries have disrupted an intercontinental criminal network that was smuggling migrants from Cuba to the European Union, with the move leading to the arrest of 62 people, Europol and Interpol, who coordinated the international investigation, said on Monday.   

General view of the Europol building in The Hague, Netherlands December 12, 2019. REUTERS/Eva Plevier

A Europol statement said the criminal network focused on Cubans in vulnerable situations, and that for 9,000 euros ($9,969.30), it would organize their journey to Europe and provide false documentation.

In total, it is suspected that the criminal network successfully smuggled around 5,000 Cuban nationals into the EU.

Besides the arrests, police also seized 18 pieces of real estate, 33 vehicles, and 144 bank accounts, alongside vast sums of cash in various currencies.

($1 = 0.9028 euros)

(Reporting by Charlotte Van Campenhout; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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