In the trial of three suspected members of an international smuggling gang, regional court Traunstein the defendants were sentenced to prison. According to the court, the men confessed to most of their alleged crimes as part of the agreement. Tuesday’s decision is not final.
The defendants, aged between 28 and 36, are said to be prominent members of an international smuggling clan. They were arrested in November 2024 in Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia – as part of a Europe-wide special operation.
Death during smuggling
The 36-year-old main defendant is said to be one of the leaders of the network in Germany, which is said to be responsible for much of the smuggling along the Balkan route from Syria to Germany. According to the allegations, he also organized a smuggling operation that caused a woman to die of physical exhaustion on the trail from Belarus to Latvia. He received a twelve-year prison sentence for, among other things, gang and commercial alien smuggling, kidnapping by extortion, and attempted aggravated robbery.
Two other defendants, aged 28 and 32, were sentenced to seven years and nine months and four years and nine months in prison. The fourth defendant (44) was sentenced to two years in prison, suspended with probation. He could not be proven to be a gang member.
© dpa-infocom, dpa:251119-930-311714/1
