Network smuggling migrants via Belarus busted in Poland

The Polish Border Guard, supported by Europol, has successfully targeted a large criminal network smuggling migrants from Belarus and Russia into the EU. The investigation was conducted within the framework of a Europol Operational Task Force, made up of authorities from Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. A Europol expert supported the operation on the ground in Poland.

The action days between 14 and 16 October led to:

• 11 arrests of mainly Polish, Russian and Ukrainian nationals,
• 11 locations searched,
• Seizures including electronic equipment and around PLN 80 000 in cash.

Over EUR 5 000 to reach the EU with a stopover in Russia and Belarus

The investigation uncovered a criminal network composed of both Polish and non-EU nationals (from Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and Georgia) residing in Poland and other European countries. The non-EU nationals often acted as drivers, as they typically charge less for their services than EU nationals. Migrants (mainly originating from Afghanistan, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Egypt) would transport themselves legally to Belarus, either directly or via Russia. Members of the smuggling network would then transport the migrants to the Polish-Belarusian border, which they crossed illegally. The migrants would be picked up in Poland by other members of the network and smuggled to other EU countries - mainly to Germany - by car.

The smuggling network is linked to smuggling incidents concerning around 600 illegal migrants. The criminal network charged smuggling fees of about EUR 5 000 per person, sometimes in cryptocurrency. Migrants each had to pay a further EUR 500 to the drivers in Poland for transporting them to their final destination in Western Europe.

The investigation revealed that most of the suspects were involved in recruiting drivers in Poland to transport migrants from the Belarusian border to the German border. One example involved a Russian citizen, who officially ran a car rental business in Poland, but was actually recruiting drivers and providing vehicles for transporting irregular migrants to countries throughout the EU.

Dedicated Europol Task Force

In the past two years, national authorities have identified an intensification of migrant smuggling activities along the Belarus-Lithuania, Latvia, and Poland route, as well as across the so-called Balkan Route. In response to this shift in the criminal landscape, Europol established an Operational Task Force in March 2024, in collaboration with Austria, Czechia, Germany, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine. The information exchanged within this Task Force, facilitated by Europol, revealed the dynamic operations of criminal networks active in the region. Europol's experts analysed this information, and the international exchange helped clarify the structure of the criminal landscape.

The smuggling networks operating in the region consist of members of various nationalities, positioned at different levels of the criminal hierarchy. Some act as drivers for cars used to transport migrants, others are responsible for collecting smuggling fees, and others recruit drivers. At the top, High-Value Targets oversee and organise the overall smuggling operations.