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Smuggling trial in Pasewalk: 24-year-old is said to have smuggled in 20 refugees
Pasewalk district court hears smuggling trial: 24-year-old is said to have illegally transported 20 migrants to the border.
Smuggling trial in Pasewalk: 24-year-old is said to have smuggled in 20 refugees
A remarkable trial is currently underway at the Pasewalk District Court (Western Pomerania-Greifswald) that delves deep into the machinations of human smuggling. The case concerns a 24-year-old Syrian who has already been convicted of illegal smuggling in Poland. Loud Northern Courier On October 7, 2023, the defendant drove to the German border with around 20 refugees in a closed van. The situation was critical: the refugees were unsecured and crowded in the back of the vehicle for hours.
The federal police were finally able to track down the migrants as they crossed the border on foot near Grambow. Interestingly, most of the refugees are Syrians who wanted to travel to Germany via the Balkan route. They had paid huge sums of around 3,000 euros per person to the smuggler. A 19-year-old witness who was in the van could only vaguely remember many details and ultimately had to be taken to trial by the police. The trial remains open because another witness, whose testimony could be crucial to the case, cannot be heard until the end of November.
Increasing investigations and verdicts
Judge Fleckenstein, who is presiding over the trial, has had experience with similar cases in the past. A 56-year-old Latvian man was recently sentenced to two years and four months in prison, while a smuggler from Moldova received a prison sentence of one year and ten months. The federal police are also reporting an increase in apprehensions at the border, even if the number of migrants smuggled in is declining overall. In November, 22 refugees from Somalia, Eritrea and Ethiopia had to be transported in a box truck in extremely harsh conditions, some for more than 30 hours. Here, too, around 1,800 euros per person were charged for the smuggling, plus another 500 euros for a direct trip to Berlin.
The incidents at the border show that people smuggling is a serious and widespread problem. The driven who find themselves in such dangerous hands are often desperate for a better life. While the judiciary is trying to get the whole thing under control, the situation on site remains tense.
The statements from the missing witness will continue to be awaited until the next hearing. The verdict could have far-reaching consequences for those affected who relied on the help of smugglers to escape.