Police arrest two Serbian citizens for smuggling illegal migrants

On Monday, Croatian police, in cooperation with Europol and their Slovenian colleagues, prevented the smuggling of six migrants in the Zaprešić area and arrested two Serbian citizens suspected of smuggling illegal migrants.

The migrants were hidden in the cargo area of a Serbian-registered truck, driven by a 42-year-old Serbian citizen. They were transported in a cramped space between cargo, where there was a serious risk to their lives due to the possible movement of the cargo and a lack of air. A criminal investigation in the Varaždin area also resulted in the arrest of a 32-year-old Serbian citizen, the owner of the company that owned the vehicle. The police suspect him of participating in the organization of smuggling illegal migrants.

According to police estimates, the two arrested smugglers could have made at least €9 000 in illegal profit from this transport alone. This is part of the smuggling route from Serbia to Western Europe, which the police assess as extremely dangerous due to the threat to the health and lives of migrants. The police have reported that the suspects have been handed over to the detention supervisor, and criminal charges have been filed against them at the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Novi Zagreb.

Source: HRT