According to investigators, the 54-year-old Pole, originally from Egypt, established an organized crime group, which he has been directing since 2015. Its aim was to organize the transfer of illegal migrants from the Middle East.
The investigation was conducted by the State Prosecutor’s Office Department for Organized Crime and Corruption in Szczecin (North-West Poland) and the Polish Border Guard. The indictment was handed over to the Warsaw District Court.
“The migrants were mainly Iraqi and Syrian citizens who reached Greece through Turkey and later traveled to different towns in Poland via charter flights. They were then transferred from airports via train by couriers to Poland’s Western border, mainly Szczecin, Świnoujście and Kostrzyn. From there, the foreigners traveled on their own to Germany or Sweden,” the naval division of the Border Guard stated. The 54-year-old usually recruited migrants in Athens.
The Prosecutor’s Office emphasized in its indictment that the migrants came from countries where there are ongoing armed conflicts, which the accused used to his advantage.
Just one migrant had to pay the organizers several thousands of Euros to be transferred illegally. The payment occurred in two installments: one at the start of the journey and one on the other side.
The accused hid from law enforcement and was wanted under a European Arrest Warrant.
In February 2020, he was detained in Bratislava and deported to Poland. The remaining members of his group were indicted in November 2019.
The Prosecutor’s Office stated that the legal proceedings surrounding the case are in their final stage.
Title image: Illegal migrants detained by Polish Border Guard. Source: Polish Border Guard.
