Serbian authorities have dismantled an organized migrant smuggling network operating along the Balkan route during a joint law enforcement operation targeting cross-border trafficking.
The investigation was carried out by Serbia’s anti-migration and organized crime service within Europol’s Operational Task Force ITER, a specialized working group established in September 2023 to support national authorities in disrupting migrant smuggling organizations.
Five suspects were arrested during the operation, including the alleged leader of the criminal network and two Serbian police officers. Investigators identified the organizer as a senior figure within a wider international migrant trafficking structure.
Police also seized three vehicles believed to have been used to transport migrants. Searches at five locations uncovered firearms and ammunition, a radio communication device, mobile phones, approximately 5,700 euros in cash, and an additional 40,000 Serbian dinars.
According to investigators, the criminal group was formed in 2025 and, between January and July this year, organized the movement of Afghan migrants from Turkey through Bulgaria and Serbia before sending them onward to destinations in Western Europe.
