On 18 November 2019, the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), under the supervision of a regional prosecutor's office and with Europol support, dismantled an organised crime group involved in migrant smuggling and facilitation of irregular migration. On the action day, Polish law enforcement arrested 17 suspected members of the criminal network; four of these suspects, believed to be the main organisers, were placed in custody. During coordinated searches, officers seized electronic devices including mobile phones and computers, as well as paper versions of documents from registered companies that had been used to facilitate illegal immigration via fake employment documentation. The group had been active since 2012 and specialised in facilitating illegal border crossings for citizens from eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, moving them mainly into Poland, then onwards to other EU countries and the United States. The criminal network collaborated with criminals from several countries, primarily Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, to enable non-EU nationals to enter Poland using visas obtained on the basis of falsified employment papers. Once inside the EU’s Schengen area, the smuggled individuals could move freely and work illegally in other EU member states, notably Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Investigators estimate that the network facilitated the illegal border crossing of at least 13,019 non-EU citizens and generated more than EUR 2.3 million in criminal profits. Europol supported the operation with analytical, operational and coordination assistance, including deploying an expert on-the-spot on the action day to cross-check operational information against Europol databases in real time and to provide technical support for forensic analysis of the seized devices.

On 18 November 2019, the Polish Border Guard (Straż Graniczna), under the supervision of a regional prosecutor's office and with Europol support, dismantled an organised crime group involved in migrant smuggling and facilitation of irregular migration. On the action day, Polish law enforcement arrested 17 suspected members of the criminal network; four of these suspects, believed to be the main organisers, were placed in custody. During coordinated searches, officers seized electronic devices including mobile phones and computers, as well as paper versions of documents from registered companies that had been used to facilitate illegal immigration via fake employment documentation. The group had been active since 2012 and specialised in facilitating illegal border crossings for citizens from eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, moving them mainly into Poland, then onwards to other EU countries and the United States. The criminal network collaborated with criminals from several countries, primarily Russia, Turkey and Ukraine, to enable non-EU nationals to enter Poland using visas obtained on the basis of falsified employment papers. Once inside the EU’s Schengen area, the smuggled individuals could move freely and work illegally in other EU member states, notably Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden. Investigators estimate that the network facilitated the illegal border crossing of at least 13,019 non-EU citizens and generated more than EUR 2.3 million in criminal profits. Europol supported the operation with analytical, operational and coordination assistance, including deploying an expert on-the-spot on the action day to cross-check operational information against Europol databases in real time and to provide technical support for forensic analysis of the seized devices.