Overview
- Europol, which disclosed the case Thursday, said a French-led operation made eight arrests on March 29–30 and seized passports, vehicles and cash.
- The network moved Vietnamese nationals into the EU on Hungarian visas or permits, flew them to France, lodged them near Paris, then drove them to the north coast for handoff to a Kurdish-Iraqi boat gang.
- Police captured the alleged network leader in Germany under a European arrest warrant and detained a high-level organiser in Hungary before the March 30 raids.
- Europol estimates the group moved at least 15 people each month and charged up to €22,000 per person, running logistics, housing and transport through paid drivers.
- Reuters reported at least four people died Thursday when a migrant boat sank in the Channel, underscoring the lethal risks these crossings still pose.