People smuggling

People smuggling: Turkey biggest breeding ground for traffickers

Turkey has witnessed the biggest increase in suspected people smugglers during the current refugee and migrant crisis engulfing Europe, according to Europol.

During the last year alone, police recorded 423 suspected traffickers in the country – an increase of 295 per cent since the previous year. The second highest increase was witnessed in Ukraine, where there was a surge of 157 per cent. The second highest total number of suspects came from Syria, where millions of refugees continue to flee the brutal civil war that has forced millions of people to leave their homes.

The UK is ranked eighth in the list of most common nations in the EU for human trafficking, with 136 suspects. However, that number has fallen since last summer by roughly 47 per cent.

Police and humanitarian groups warn that a huge number of refugees and migrants are exposed to smugglers who demand enormous payments in return for providing false documents or transportation on dangerous travel routes.