Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

Smuggling into Europe through the Mediterranean sea routes typically
takes place on unseaworthy fishing boats or small overloaded rubber dinghies.
These vessels are generally poorly equipped, prone to capsizing and often lack
the necessary fuel to reach Europe (Frontex, 2016). The size of the vessel and the
number of passengers depends on the distance that has to be covered and the
funds available. A refugee dinghy crossing from the Turkish coast to the Aegean
Islands typically carries 50 to 65 people; a wooden boat from Libya to Italy can
carry up to a few hundreds (Kingsley, 2015). It is noteworthy that smugglers
themselves do not normally board the boats but reportedly assign pilot duties
to one of the passengers. The sums due vary depending on a variety of factors.
Each leg of the journey is normally associated with a specific fee range, the
precise height of which is influenced by additional factors, such as the weather
conditions, the risks involved, the facilities in the receiving country, as well as
social considerations (nationality, age, family status). In 2015, for instance,
crossing from Ayvalik to Lesvos reportedly cost between EUR 500 to EUR 2,500
with the lowest fees reported during windy winter days. Overall in the smuggling
industry, travel by sea under such conditions is generally considered among the
most dangerous and accounts for the highest number of deaths (University of
Amsterdam, 2016).
Subsidiary movement within the European continent typically takes place
by land, through private vehicles and concealed departments in trucks and train
freights. The precise mode depends (among other things) on the quality of the
road, the length of the journey, the financial possibilities of the client and also the
migration policies in place (e.g. Schengen). Compared to movement into Europe,
the available options here appear to be much broader, rendering the analysis
of the trends particularly complex. While data have not been systematically
collected, travelling in hidden spaces in trucks and buses has been frequently
reported in the context the ferry crossings from Greece to Italy (Triandafyllidou
and Maroukis, 2012). Travelling in concealed departments in vans, trucks and
minivans is also a commonly reported method in the context of the Western
Balkan route, in particular from Bulgaria via Romania, Slovakia and Hungary to
Vienna. According to the Austrian authorities, travelling from Greece to Austria
typically costs between EUR 3,000 to EUR 5,000; from Serbia to Austria between
EUR 700 to EUR 1,200 per person. Onward movement from Austria to Germany
entails a further EUR 1,000, while Scandinavia is a further EUR 2,500. Overall,
travel inside a truck has proven a rather perilous mode of transfer as there is a
real risk of suffocation. In one notorious case in 2015, 71 migrants were found
dead inside a lorry at the Austrian–Hungarian border (Harding, 2015).
Migrant Smuggling Data and Research:
A global review of the emerging evidence base
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