The German Federal Police conducted extensive operations across nine states, leading to the arrest of three suspects involved in migrant smuggling. The operation, which engaged 750 officers, involved searches of nearly 40 properties in Lower Saxony, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, Bavaria, Hamburg, Hesse, Baden-Württemberg, Saxony, and North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to the Public Prosecutor’s Office, police have arrested three suspects accused of helping Chinese migrants enter Germany in exchange for large sums of money. One of the individuals has already been taken into custody, and the other two are expected to be held in pre-trial detention. The arrests took place in the state of Schleswig-Holstein, where most of the searches were conducted.
The investigating authority has accused the suspects of migrant smuggling, alleging that they brought migrants from China under the guise of the skilled labor program, charging €230,000 per person. The case traces back to a large-scale search operation conducted by the Federal Police Inspectorate in 2023, following suspicions of organized smuggling networks. Investigators were alerted after smugglers advertised online services offering Chinese nationals legal entry and residency in Germany through the fast-track skilled labor visa program.
Investigations revealed that the smuggling operation involved Chinese migrants who signed permanent employment contracts and obtained EU Blue Cards, enabling them to stay in Germany for four years. However, these contracts did not reflect genuine employment relationships. Additionally, the migrants entered into migration service agreements and loan agreements, which required them to pay substantial sums of money.
According to the Federal Police, the smugglers facilitated the entry of nearly 100,000 people into Germany. They seized control of the migrants’ salaries by diverting the payments to bank accounts under their own control. The smuggling operations were run by three individuals: two were responsible for organizing residency procedures, while the third handled financial planning and staff management. During the investigation, police uncovered substantial digital evidence, seized large sums of cash, and confiscated more than €5 million.
The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is also investigating other smugglers in North Rhine-Westphalia who are suspected of smuggling wealthy Chinese and Omani nationals. The charges against the smugglers include bribing government officials to facilitate obtaining residence permits in exchange for large sums of money.
