Germany Targets Small Boat Gangs in Secret Police Warehouse Raid

Germany has become a key hub for migrant smuggling gangs operating in the English Channel, but authorities have now taken a major step to combat the issue. In a secret police warehouse in western Germany, the BBC was given exclusive access to a massive haul of seized items, including thousands of life jackets and dozens of dinghies.

Source: ichef.bbci.co.uk

The warehouse, located in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, is a result of the first raids under a new law making it a crime to facilitate migrant smuggling to the UK. The operation involved French, German, and UK investigators and resulted in the seizure of over 9,000 life jackets, dozens of dinghies, and 360 boat pumps.

Source: ichef.bbci.co.uk

According to the UK’s National Crime Agency, the equipment seized could have taken more than 2,000 migrants across the Channel illegally. The number is lower than the so-called mega dinghies seen this summer but matches recent averages and the general trend of rising passenger numbers.

Source: ichef.bbci.co.uk

Smuggling gangs have long used garages or warehouses to store equipment in western Germany before transporting it to northern France. Until recently, key anti-smuggling laws in Germany only applied to nations within the EU’s zone of free movement, not to third countries, which included the UK after Brexit.

The raids have marked a significant shift in Germany’s approach to combating migrant smuggling. The country’s Interior Ministry confirmed that these raids marked the first time enforcement measures had been taken under the new law, but did not confirm if the law had been employed more than once.

The BBC was able to see the results of the raid, which took place in the North Rhine-Westphalia region, at an undisclosed police storehouse in western Germany. The stash has been kept much as it was found, with the dinghies deflated and packaged in cardboard boxes.

The equipment seized is believed to have originated from China, with much of it being produced in the country before being transported to Europe, often via Turkey. Customs officials recently found 20 undeclared inflatable dinghies hidden between mattress pads at a Turkish-Bulgarian border crossing. The truck driver had been heading for Germany.

British investigators believe Kurdish criminal networks hold a particularly controlling grip over the small boats business in western Germany. A well-known entry point from Turkey into the EU is at the Bulgarian land border.

Lawyer Bernhard Schmeilzl, who specialises in UK-German law, points out that the legal situation is essentially as it was before Brexit. However, he believes it will make a difference, even if stretched German law enforcement agencies may be more likely to focus on domestic matters.