The Hague, 6 August 2026
A high-value target suspected of smuggling more than 600 migrants along the Balkan route has been arrested following cooperation between German and Serbian authorities, coordinated by Eurojust and Europol.
The suspect was arrested in Belgrade on 5 August. He is suspected of working with other members of a smuggling network that transported people to Germany and other Western European countries along the Balkan route.
According to investigators, the network brought Syrian nationals into the European Union from Serbia via Hungary or from Bosnia and Herzegovina via Croatia. The migrants were subsequently transported by car, van or truck through Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Poland or Austria to Germany and other European countries.
The network reportedly charged between EUR 2,000 and EUR 10,000 per person. The suspect arrested on 5 August is believed to have played a central role in the network from his residence in Serbia. He allegedly transported migrants to Sombor, Serbia, where he handed them over to other members of the network, and is also suspected of facilitating their movement from Serbia into Hungary.
Between June 2023 and June 2024, he is suspected of having been involved in at least 37 smuggling operations.
The arrest forms part of a wider operation targeting other members of the network in Germany and Serbia. Five additional suspects were arrested during coordinated actions in Germany, the Netherlands and Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2025.
Eurojust supported the German and Serbian authorities through a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established at the Agency. The JIT facilitated the exchange of information on the smuggling network and supported preparations for the suspect’s arrest. The Western Balkans Criminal Justice Project also supported cooperation between the participating authorities.
Europol’s European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling coordinated an Operational Taskforce throughout the investigation, facilitating intelligence exchange between the participating countries and providing operational analysis to identify links between different investigations.
Europol also supported the identification of high-value targets, coordinated operational activities during the action day and deployed experts to provide real-time analytical and operational assistance to investigators.
The operation highlights the importance of coordinated international cooperation in disrupting organised migrant smuggling networks operating across multiple European countries.
