Roeselare (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In the course of an international human trafficking gang inquiry, 7 suspects were arrested. 6 in the Roeselare area in the Flemish province of West Flanders, Belgium and 1 in Poland. This was announced by Europol and the Bruges department of the West Flanders public prosecutor’s office. 8 other suspects have also been arrested in Poland lately in this case.
The German court had started the investigations into the network in September 2024, following a routine check. Police discovered that the driver’s papers were not in order, and he was picked for questioning. The man was arrested on suspicion of human trafficking straight away. Soon afterwards, it became known that the man had probably transported and left migrants illegally that particular day.
The further investigation showed that this suspect might have been a member of a wider illegal human smuggling network, which smuggled up to 300 people illegally to Germany and other EU countries in 2022-2024. The majority of the gang members seemed to live in the region of Roeselare. They were said to be the intermediate figure between the suspects in Germany and a network in Poland, as reported by VRT.
During a probe conducted by the West Flanders PPO, the Federal Judicial Police found out that two men (34 and 35 years old) were the major pieces of the network. According to the public prosecutor’s office, they were described as responsible for the recruitment of drivers and led in the cash flows in the network. The recruited drivers were in a dire financial position. According to the prosecutor’s office, the international network had organized illegal transports through the Balkan route. They used to transport an average of 12 migrants at a time.
Unable to hide the facts, the suspects tried to put a cover on them by using a Polish transport company. Also the Polish gang could be connected to the Polish hockey hooligan life-world and to the smuggling of amphetamines, cocaine and marijuana. Over the past 3 days, 8 suspects have been arrested in Poland in recent months.
The International Day of Action was held yesterday. In that regard, the Bruges investigating judge conducted 8 house searches in the region of Roeselare. 2 were suspected to be the main figures, and 4 other suspects were brought into custody.
These are 4 men and 4 women aged between 27 and 35 years.
In the course of the house searches, amongst others, mobile phones, 4 vehicles, laptops, and documents were confiscated. The investigating judge has meanwhile arrested the 6 suspects on suspicion of human trafficking and membership in a criminal organization.
They will be transferred to the hands of German courts according to the prosecutor’s office. Two more house searches were conducted in Germany, and the results were that a 30-year-old man was detained.
What is the history of human trafficking incidents in Belgium?
Belgium has been known for many years as a source country, a destination country and a transit country for human trafficking, which involves both men, women and children forced to labour and sexual exploitation. The issue gained public attention since the early 1990s and particularly after the publication of such investigative works as exposés of trafficking networks that consequently resulted in the creation of a parliamentary commission in 1992 focused on the development of counter trafficking policies.
Belgium made it illegal to trade in persons in 1995, differentiated between sexual and economic exploitation, and instituted victim protection, including residence permits for cooperating victims.
The victims of trafficking in Belgium are represented by such countries as Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia, and most of the victims are exploited over forced prostitution and labor in such industrial fields as agriculture and construction.
The country has become a transportation hub for the victims transferred to other European countries. Belgian law enforcement has prosecuted hundreds of trafficking suspects, but it is still difficult to decide whether a trafficking case or an illegal employment or smuggling case is concerned.
