Five people have been arrested for smuggling migrants across the Bulgarian-Serbian "green-border" pass

The General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) and Serbia's Service for Combating Organized Crime conducted a joint police operation

Photo: GDCOC

The General Directorate for Combating Organized Crime (GDBOP) and Serbia’s Service for Combating Organized Crime conducted a joint police operation that led to the dismantling of a network for the illegal smuggling of migrants along the so-called "Balkan Route." The investigation was carried out within the framework of Europol’s Operational Task Force (OTF) ITER, established in September 2023 to support national authorities in countering migrant smuggling networks.

```
Five individuals have been arrested in the neighboring country, including two police officers and the criminal group's organizer, a high-ranking figure in the international trafficking hierarchy.
Three vehicles used to transport migrants were seized during the operation. Five locations were searched, resulting in the discovery of firearms and ammunition, a two-way radio, mobile devices, and cash totaling 5,700 euros and 40,000 Serbian dinars.
Investigations revealed that the group was formed in 2025 and, between January and July of this year, successfully organized the transit of groups of Afghan nationals from Turkey, through Bulgaria and Serbia, to Western European countries.

Its key members are Serbian nationals based in the city of Pirot. The "service" provided—covering transport, accommodation, and crossing the "green border" using pre-determined GPS coordinates—cost approximately €1,300 per person. Most payments were made via the informal "Hawala" money transfer system.
The smuggling of migrants remains a major form of organized crime in the European Union, requiring coordinated action across the entire criminal chain—from the recruitment and transport of migrants to the tracking of the financial flows sustaining the activity—according to the Europol statement regarding the operation.

To this end, the European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS) was established last December to improve information exchange and coordination among Member States, as well as active cooperation with organizations such as Frontex and Eurojust.

Further information, photos, and video:

Five arrests for smuggling migrants across the Bulgarian-Serbian green border - Serbian authorities raided five locations: a High Value Target and two police officers among the arrestees | Europol

https://fb.watch/IxNFNFD-yO/

```