DIICOT searches at migrant traffickers' homes

Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) prosecutors on Wednesday conducted seven home searches, within an action aimed at dismantling a group made up of Romanian, Syrian, Iraqi and Bulgarian citizens, specialized in migrant trafficking and illegal state border passage, on the route Turkey - Bulgaria - Romania - Hungary - states of Western Europe.

Photo credit: (c) GRIGORE POPESCU / AGERPRES ARCHIVE

According to a DIICOT release, in the period 2013 ? 2015, members of the group recruited Arabian citizens with the purpose of illegally passing the state border both from Bulgaria to Romania and from our country to other countries of the European Union space, in exchange of important amounts of money.

The pieces of evidence managed in the case reveal that the crime activity of the group was structured on various segments.

Thus, the first segment had the role of recruiting migrants, taking them over from Bulgaria's territory and illegally introducing them in Romania, through Giurgiu area, and to then take them to the Municipality of Bucharest.

The second segment had the role of taking over the migrants from the accommodation facilities in Bucharest, to transport then to the western area, at the border with Hungary, where the illegal exit from Romania was organized.

Nine persons will be brought in to the DIICOT headquarters ? the Central Structure.

The searches were conducted together with judiciary police officers within the Border Police Inspectorate General ? the Centre of Border Crossing Surveillance and Control Airports Bucharest ? Otopeni ? the Office of Combatting Illegal Migration, with the support of Gendarmerie's "Vlad Tepes" Special Intervention Brigade.

The specialist...