Khaberni - On Tuesday, the German police launched a major operation to dismantle a network suspected of exploiting residence permits originally issued to Syrian refugees with the aim of illegally bringing others into the country.
The Federal Police Office in Halle near Leipzig reported that about 1,000 officers were deployed to conduct raids on more than 50 residential and commercial locations in the Leipzig area in eastern Germany.
The authorities suspect that the network used original residence permits granted to Syrian refugees in Germany, which were later sent to individuals in Syria resembling their original owners, for use in entering German territory.
It is suspected that the majority of the targeted individuals allowed their documents to be used in this scheme, while a smaller number are suspected of being involved in organizing the smuggling operations.
During the raids, the police confiscated several pieces of evidence, including phones, residence permits, and travel tickets, as well as at least 93,000 euros in cash.
The authorities also noted "violations of drug and explosives laws," indicating some of the suspects' ties to organized crime. The measures included identifying 44 suspects.
The police explained that several fraud cases were uncovered through "document and visa consultants" operating at several airports in the Middle East.
Since the year 2024, Germany has deployed 71 of these consultants outside the European Union to support visa services at its embassies and consulates and cooperate with airlines at major international airports.
