Croatian police participated in Europol’s operation against smugglers

ZAGREB – The Croatian police supported the action of the French gendarmerie and Europol with their operational data, in which 24 drivers of a criminal cell involved in smuggling migrants into the EU via the so-called Balkan route were arrested, the Police Directorate reported.

The Police Directorate emphasizes that around 300 members of the French gendarmerie participated in the action day against the network of migrant smugglers on April 1 of this year, and part of the action day was conducted with the support of the Italian police in northern Italy, where one of the leaders of the criminal network was located.

A total of 24 individuals were arrested, and the same number of house searches were conducted. Three vehicles and communication devices were also seized. The criminal network primarily operated at the Serbian-Hungarian and Greek-Turkish borders. However, their smuggling operations were also discovered at the internal Schengen borders, particularly at the Austrian-Hungarian border and on the route between the Austrian and Croatian borders.

The Ministry of the Interior emphasizes that the investigation into the criminal network involved in smuggling migrants from Serbia into the EU began in late 2022 in Strasbourg. Part of the action day was conducted with the support of the Italian police in northern Italy, where one of the leaders of the criminal network was located, and along with Croatia and Italy, the action was supported by Greece, Hungary, and Serbia through the exchange of operational data via Europol.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, the alleged organizers of the network who operated from another EU country coordinated activities together with two French citizens who were in the Alsace region and managed logistics, including finding drivers in Strasbourg and the surrounding area and in the Paris region.

The mentioned network was responsible for only one segment of transportation as this tactic aims to limit the threat to the entire network in cases where some members are arrested by law enforcement agencies, explains the Police Directorate. (April 10, 2025)