Have the article read by OpenAI (Beta). Please note that AI translations may take some time to process.Karlsruhe, Germany (dpa) – German Federal police have searched properties in south-western Germany in a crackdown on people smuggling.
A police spokesman told the German press agency dpa on Tuesday that four arrest warrants had already been executed and a total of 24 apartments in the city of Mannheim and nearby Karlsruhe and Worms were searched.
A group of seven people alleged to be human traffickers are being investigated.
A police spokesman told dpa that the group is alleged to have brought people from the Middle East and the Caucasus to Germany and, at least in some cases, helped them to work in the EU country without residence permits.
Police have been conducting investigations in the alleged operation since January on suspicion of people smuggling, employing migrants without residence permits and fraud.
The arrest of the people smugglers in Germany is part of a broader effort within the European Union to address the challenges of illegal migration in the 27-member bloc.
Germany has recently re-introduced border controls with its direct neighbours to combat irregular migration. The so-called Schengen area of free movement only allows this under exceptional circumstances, such as a serious threat to public policy or internal security.
The Schengen area includes most EU member states except Ireland and Cyprus. Bulgaria and Romania are only partially included with the elimination of air and maritime internal border controls. (24 September).
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