Authorities in Germany and Serbia have arrested three suspected senior members of two Syrian migrant-smuggling networks accused of moving more than 900 people into the European Union. The coordinated operation on Aug. 5 was supported by Europol and followed several years of investigations led by German federal police and Bavarian prosecutors. German authorities arrested one suspect in Saarbrücken and carried out six searches in the area, while Serbian authorities detained two suspects in Belgrade under international arrest warrants issued by Germany. Investigators seized evidence that is undergoing forensic examination. According to Europol, one network allegedly arranged dangerous sea crossings from Libya to Lampedusa, charging between €6,500 and €7,800 per person and generating at least €875,000 in suspected profits. A second network reportedly operated along the Western Balkan route, moving migrants from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina through several EU countries toward Germany and other destinations. The suspects, all identified as high-value targets, include a 26-year-old Syrian national in Germany and two Syrian nationals aged 31 and 32 in Serbia. Investigators link them to hundreds of migrant-smuggling cases between 2022 and 2024. Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling assisted with intelligence-sharing and operational coordination, while Eurojust established a joint investigation team between German and Serbian authorities. Post navigation Flying Squad Targets Wide Bay Crime Motorcyclist Dies in Valley Crash