Significant increase in smuggling crime to Germany since 2021

Smuggling to Germany has increased significantly in recent years.

Potsdam - This emerges from a response from the Federal Ministry of the Interior to left-wing faction leader Dietmar Bartsch, which the newspapers of the Editorial Network Germany report on. Accordingly, the number of people caught by the federal police on suspicion of “smuggling in foreigners” rose from 2,132 in 2021 to 2,728 last year. In the current year, a total of 1,683 suspected smugglers were caught by August 31st.

By far the largest group of suspects in all three years have been Syrians, with an increase from 540 cases in 2021 to 599 last year and 263 as of September this year. The number of smugglers from Turkey has also increased, with 285 in the previous year and 140 this year (compared to 111 in 2021), as well as from Germany: There were no Germans among the five green ones in 2021. Last year, with 166 people caught, they were the third largest group after Syrians and Turks. The Federal Police is also recording a significant increase in smuggling by Ukrainians: this year they are the second most frequently recorded nationality, last year they were third with 175 cases - while in 2021 they are not yet among the top There were five master suspects.

Left-wing faction leader Bartsch sees Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) as responsible for the increase in smuggling crime. “The number of smugglers has increased sharply since the beginning of Ms. Faeser’s term in office,” Bartsch told the RND. “For far too long the traffic light [government coalition] has looked the other way and downplayed the warnings from districts and the police.” The Interior Minister should have acted earlier, said the left-wing politician.

“The federal government must immediately shut down the smuggling industry.” Bartsch called it “remarkable that many German citizens have discovered this perfidious business.” He also criticizes the fact that there is no statistical record of whether a suspect is a repeat offender, as the ministry responded to a corresponding question: “The fact that the federal government has no data on hand on how many smugglers have been caught multiple times is unacceptable. If you don't know that, you can hardly stop the smugglers.”

Source: Der Newsticker

Photo: picture-alliance/dpa/S. Puchner