Europol official says organized crime preying on migrants
The operations chief for Europe’s top law enforcement agency says established organized crime networks are making new connections as they jump into the business of smuggling migrants hoping for a better life.
Wil van Gemert, Europol's deputy director for operations, told The Associated Press that the networks were taking advantage of desperation to make a profit. He spoke on the sidelines of a joint conference Thursday with Interpol that gathered law enforcement representatives from 50 countries to discuss how to join forces against the smuggling networks.
Syndicates from different parts of Europe, with backgrounds in drugs and money laundering or other illicit trade, are in communication to offer a form of coordination in moving people northward.
[AP]
