Earlier this week, authorities in Romania searched eleven houses and conducted multiple interrogations following eight searches carried out in Moldova on May 16, which were followed by the arrest of four drivers and their leader. They smuggled migrants from Asia or Africa for amounts ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 euros.
The migrants were smuggled in specially created hidden compartments inside trucks to conceal the human cargo. The suspects used multiple routes for smuggling through Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and Turkey.
With the support of Eurojust, Romanian and Moldovan authorities established a joint investigation team (JIT) to expose the gang. Among the suspects are more than twenty Romanian and Moldovan citizens.
In April, numerous house searches, interrogations, and seizures of assets were carried out in Moldova. Currently, four drivers from Moldova and their organizer have been officially charged with organizing illegal immigration. Authorities conducted 19 house searches and multiple suspect interrogations. Two detainees from Moldova have already made full confessions.