Current balance sheet

19 migrants earned smuggling boss €70,000

Current pictures as at peak times: 25 Moroccans, Syrians and Egyptians besieged the road in Deutschkreutz.

(Bild: Privat)

The police's record of raids and operations against people smugglers is overshadowed by terror investigations. The Ministry of the Interior wants to continue its strict fight against illegal migration.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP) came to Nickelsdorf on Friday to give an update on the situation regarding smuggling crime with the top public security officers. Beforehand, however, he provided information on the latest findings in the case of the "Swift assassin".

Oath of allegiance to IS
An Iraqi (18) was also arrested in Vienna, who comes from the family of the 19-year-old main perpetrator. However, the suspect was not directly connected to the attack plans. However, he had sworn allegiance to IS on August 6.

Karner with Huber and Tatzgern at the border on Friday: "Smuggling groups have not retired."

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

Islamist Haqqani network
The potential extremist threat was already warned of months ago in an intelligence dossier by Hungarian state security officers. According to the dossier, even family members of the Taliban government from Afghanistan and its terrorist organization, the Islamist Haqqani network, are said to be involved in the international "smuggling business". The aim was to infiltrate the system in Europe, the investigators concluded.

With 18 Syrians and one Afghan in a van, an illegal transport was stopped by the police in Nikitsch.

(Bild: Schulter Christian, Krone KREATIV)

It is clear that the number of apprehensions is decreasing. According to state police director Martin Huber, 600 officers and soldiers are monitoring 400 kilometers of the border with Hungary. 10,731 refugees in the first half of 2023 compared to only 303 in the same period in 2024 - a drop of a remarkable 97 percent. "We were able to arrest 100 out of 289 smugglers in 2023 through video surveillance alone," said Huber.

The fight against smuggling
The Ministry of the Interior is determined to continue the fight against illegal migration. "The smuggling groups have not retired, but will probably continue to try to revive their business in the future," noted Gerald Tatzgern, Head of the Office against Smuggling and Human Trafficking at the Federal Criminal Police Office.

Just last Sunday, as reported, a trafficker (27) with 19 refugees in a van was stopped in Nikitsch. The Romanian collected 5000 euros for the trip. The client from Moldova in the vehicle in front had collected 70,000 euros.