Gang of human traffickers rolled up after action on car parks and motorways: 41 transmigranten from trucks taken, eight persons held

Leuven The federal judicial police of Leuven Tuesday morning, a large-scale action held in which a gang of human traffickers is rolled up. The police put an action on the rope on the snelwegparkings of Heverlee, Heusden-Zolder, belgium and the Walloon Ciney. Reports that the public prosecutor's office. Eight suspects were arrested when they caught were smuggling groups transmigranten and during the subsequent searches. A ninth defendant was during an action of one other police force arrested.

The police found a total of 41 transmigranten to clogged were in the trucks with as destination the United Kingdom. Eleven of them were minor. The transmigranten of mainly Sudanese, Eritrean and Somali nationality were detained and entrusted to the Immigration Service. They would be between the 3,000 and 6,000 euros per person to the smugglers paid.

After the actions on the snelwegparkings there were five simultaneous searches in Leuven, Schaarbeek, Uccle and Anderlecht. It went to locations by the gang were used to their smokkelactiviteiten to organize.

the investigation into the mensensmokkelbende began in October 2018. “The car park on the E40 in Heverlee was almost daily visited by a gang that transmigranten helped in the selection of trucks to their final destination in the United Kingdom to achieve”, says the police.

Squats, and north station

The gang operated from Brussels squats, and in the Brussels ' north station. They are recruited in Brussels transmigranten to them via public transport to the conscious car parks to assist you. Other members of the gang expanded their territory to car parks in the south of the country, such as Ciney and Arlon.

The members of the gang are of Sudanese and Eritrean origin. One of the arrested is a Belgian of Sudanese origin living in Leuven lives. Also in his home was an illegal search performed. He is suspected of helping with the smokkelactiviteiten and the reception of criminal apply to Sudan.

Eight of the nine detainees were Tuesday and Wednesday brought before the examining magistrate in Leuven. They were apprehended. It comes to eight men between 18 and 39 years of age. Friday they appear before the judiciary. The federal judicial police of Leuven put in the meantime, her research further.