An international police crackdown is underway against people smugglers seeking to transport migrants via France to the United Kingdom, including raids in West Germany, German police said on Wednesday.
A police spokeswoman in Dusseldorf said the smugglers were responsible for transporting migrants from the Middle East and North Africa in inflatable boats across the English Channel.
More than 500 police officers were involved in the raids in several cities in western Germany since early morning, the spokeswoman said.
The investigations were led by French authorities, but Wednesday’s police action was coordinated at European level.
A police action was carried out in a house on this street in Gelsenkirchen this morning in connection with the raid against a smuggling network. An international police operation against a smuggling network is underway in North Rhine-Westphalia and Baden-Württemberg. Christoph Reichwein/dpa
