A human trafficking network in Central Europe has been broken up and 205 people arrested for their alleged role in trafficking tens of thousands of illegal migrants of Syrian origin, two of whom have died, the Austrian government said.

Everything on the topic:

Migrant crisis 593

"This is a great success against organized crime and a severe blow against the mafia of smugglers," Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Carner said in a statement.

Migrants were caught near Kirklareli while trying to cross into Bulgaria

The investigation, which began in early 2021, has made it possible to trace the network, which is suspected of smuggling more than 36,000 children and adults from Hungary seeking to reach Western Europe, particularly Germany and France.

Once in Austria, these migrants were handed over to other criminal groups to continue on their route.

"Most of them are of Syrian origin" and paid between 3,000 and 4,500 euros per person for their transfer from Hungary to Austria alone, Austrian police spokesman Inspector Johann Baumschlager told AFP.

The network, which is one of the largest in Austria in recent years, has accumulated an estimated € 152 million in the months it has been operating.

The arrests were made in Austria, but also in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania.

Police also seized 80 vehicles.

In an incident involving the network, two illegal migrants suffocated last October, crammed into a small truck carrying 27 others, which was stopped by police at the Hungarian border.

Migrant crisis