The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the man’s arrest after questions from De Telegraaf. “We are aware of the matter,” a spokesperson said. “The Dutch man involved receives regular consular assistance.” The news was announced on Wednesday by the Hungarian Public Prosecutor’s Office; the man had been arrested before.
The suspect, whose identity and age are not stated, drove twice with refugees through the Eastern European country in ten days. The first time, he picked up four people in the south of the country, near the border with Serbia, to take them to the border with Austria and get them into that country. The man succeeded in this, with the help of an accomplice who was also involved in the smuggling.
The day after, the Dutchman picked up six Syrian citizens between the places Vaskút and Bátmonostor – near the border triangle with Bosnia and Serbia. With them he again left for Austria, but this time it was not possible to get the group into the Alpine country. The police got wind of his plans, after which the man was arrested by the police.
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A complaint has been filed, deputy spokesman Máté Kövecs of the Public Prosecution Service in the Bács-Kiskun region said. An investigation shows that in May the suspect had joined an internationally organized criminal group that is active in people smuggling in various countries. The illegal activities on the continent are organized in the Netherlands, Kövecs said. To make discovery more difficult, the members communicated with each other via mobile phones and Internet applications, the Hungarian medium MIT reported.
The organizers guided the people smugglers with GPS coordinates in order to determine the best route from a distance. Reference videos were also made to prove previous successful smuggling operations to potential ‘customers’ in order to convince them. This made it easier to get hold of money.
The Baja District Prosecutor’s Office accuses the man of human trafficking and membership of a criminal organization. He has to answer to the Hungarian court shortly.