A large criminal network primarily composed of Syrian and Turkish nationals smuggled Iraqi migrants from Baghdad to the EU via Belarus and Russia, using smuggling routes through Turkey and Belarus, entering the EU at Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland borders, with final destinations mainly Germany and Finland. The smuggling operations were hierarchical and involved different actors who mostly did not know each other personally. Payment flows were managed through the hawala underground financial system and cryptocurrency, with hawaladars based in Berlin facilitating payments using proof of delivery such as photos of migrants at destinations. Local drivers, mainly Ukrainian nationals, conducted the last leg of land transport from Belarus into the EU. Charges ranged from EUR 3,000 to 15,000 per migrant, with estimated money flows of at least EUR 16 million. Smugglers also operated via social media groups advertising illegal travel services, charging EUR 500-1,000 per person for transport from border areas to Germany. Life-threatening conditions were reported, including overcrowded transport vehicles. In one incident, a migrant was found dead in Germany after being abandoned near the German-Polish border. Europol established Operational Task Force (OTF) Flow in February 2022 to enhance law enforcement coordination, leading to 61 arrests and detection of over 100 smuggling incidents involving more than 1,000 migrants. On 7 December 2022, a coordinated action day led to 8 arrests, 17 location searches, 12 transfers detected, and seizures of electronic devices, documents, and cash in Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. Law enforcement agencies involved include police and border guards from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, supported by Europol experts.

A large criminal network primarily composed of Syrian and Turkish nationals smuggled Iraqi migrants from Baghdad to the EU via Belarus and Russia, using smuggling routes through Turkey and Belarus, entering the EU at Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland borders, with final destinations mainly Germany and Finland. The smuggling operations were hierarchical and involved different actors who mostly did not know each other personally. Payment flows were managed through the hawala underground financial system and cryptocurrency, with hawaladars based in Berlin facilitating payments using proof of delivery such as photos of migrants at destinations. Local drivers, mainly Ukrainian nationals, conducted the last leg of land transport from Belarus into the EU. Charges ranged from EUR 3,000 to 15,000 per migrant, with estimated money flows of at least EUR 16 million. Smugglers also operated via social media groups advertising illegal travel services, charging EUR 500-1,000 per person for transport from border areas to Germany. Life-threatening conditions were reported, including overcrowded transport vehicles. In one incident, a migrant was found dead in Germany after being abandoned near the German-Polish border. Europol established Operational Task Force (OTF) Flow in February 2022 to enhance law enforcement coordination, leading to 61 arrests and detection of over 100 smuggling incidents involving more than 1,000 migrants. On 7 December 2022, a coordinated action day led to 8 arrests, 17 location searches, 12 transfers detected, and seizures of electronic devices, documents, and cash in Germany, Lithuania, and Poland. Law enforcement agencies involved include police and border guards from Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, supported by Europol experts.