At least 300 migrants were smuggled across the EU in special adapted vehicle fuel tanks, it has been alleged.
Five Slovaks are facing charges of people smuggling after being arrested in a series of house raids by Slovak police on Tuesday morning.
They have been accused of arranging for the migrants to be shipped from Hungary to western Europe, mostly to Germany and Italy.
They face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
Police said migrants from Syria, Pakistan and Afghanistan were stowed away in the specially customised tanks in cars from Slovak and Czech rental companies.
Those who were smuggled were charged between €500 and €1,000 (£450-£900).
The stowaways are believed to have been intercepted on the Hungarian border.
Hungarian police footage showed a male migrant climbing out of a narrow fuel tank under a vehicle.
Still photos revealed the cramped tubular space that migrants had to squeeze into.
It's unclear how many people were packed into the tank at any one time.
Slovakia has not been a principal route for those attempting to reach western Europe from the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
No comments:
Post a Comment