European authorities arrest 566 people in large transnational anti-crime operation

By Giovanni Legorano

ROME (AA) – A large transnational law enforcement operation has recently led to the arrest of 566 people accused of a range of crimes, including drug and migrant smuggling, Europol said Thursday.

The arrests took place between Nov. 13-18. The so-called action days saw police, customs and immigration bodies, as well as border control agencies join forces to target the suspected criminal rings.

The operations included checks at the EU’s external borders and special operations in the 26 countries involved. More than 22,000 officers from gendarmerie, border guards, customs authorities, and national units were employed.

Europol, the EU’s law enforcement agency, said that 218 arrests were related to migrant smuggling, 186 to drug trafficking, 69 to firearms trafficking, and 89 to other crimes.

The information exchange among the authorities involved led to the opening of 121 new cases against criminal networks, Europol added.

Authorities also said that almost 300,000 entities were checked, including people, vehicles, postal packages, and premises. These checks led to the seizure of 626 kilograms (1,380 pounds) of cocaine and almost 300 kg (661Ibs) of cannabis, heroin and marijuana plants.

In addition, authorities also seized 310 weapons, including pistols, rifles and grenades, and more than 20,000 pieces of ammunition. They also identified 114 forged documents.

The operation included law enforcement officials from the following EU countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.

Outside the EU, it included officials from: Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Türkiye, Ukraine, and the UK.

These authorities were supported by Europol, Eurojust, the EU’s judicial cooperation agency, and Frontex, the bloc’s border agency.