Migrant Smuggling Data and Research

Travel by air through falsified documents or sham marriages, directly
from the country of origin or within Europe, covering part of the journey, has
also been documented, although to a lesser extent. In the period 2013–2014
in Germany, for instance, travel by air accounted for around 15 per cent of all
detected cases of irregular smuggling. In general, travel by air is considered a
safer but more expensive option.
Selected accounts from the Europol data illustrate the complexity of the
crime in the context of Europe. In one case, for instance, irregular migrants
from Viet Nam were offered two travel options to reach the United Kingdom
– an economy and a VIP package ranging between EUR 18,000 and 35,000 per
person. The migrants were provided with valid Polish or Czech tourist visas and
once in Europe, they were housed in safe houses in Paris or Angers. From there,
they were smuggled to the United Kingdom via trucks or cars. In another known
case, Albanian migrants were smuggled from France across the channel to the
United Kingdom through the expensive and rather atypical mode of rented
private yachts. In another case, in 2013, a network that smuggled migrants from
India to Europe through forged documents issued in Portugal was dismantled.
The migrants received their forged documents and then dispersed to other
countries, such as Denmark, Germany, Italy and Spain, in private cars and vans.
The fee from Lisbon to Paris was reportedly EUR 250 (Europol, 2011, 2013 and
2014).
As regards to the profile of the smuggling networks, these may be largescale
organizations involved in direct transcontinental smuggling, but most
commonly they are smaller loosely connected criminal groups, which control
movements in an organized and sophisticated manner. A smuggling network
typically comprises smaller regional criminal networks and local hubs, as well
as individual entrepreneurs active in a variety of countries (Europol, 2016; Futó,
Jandl and Karsakova, 2005; van Liempt, 2007). The organizers or leaders of the
network are usually located in key migration hubs and responsible for the overall
coordination. They operate remotely and maintain contact with a limited number
of members. Regional and smaller networks function autonomously. Their tasks
vary depending on the network they form part of. Regional leaders normally act
as local coordinators, such as making the necessary travel arrangements and
setting the prices; smaller local units are routinely responsible for ensuring that
travel and other services are provided within their territory before the migrants
are passed to the next associate along the route. They are often assisted by
freelancers and opportunistic individuals who act as local recruiters, drivers or
document falsifiers (Europol, 2016; Triandafyllidou and Maroukis, 2012).
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5. Europe