BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbian police stated Friday they’ve discovered some 3,400 migrants and seized weapons and ammunition throughout a days-long crackdown on irregular migration within the wake of a capturing final week close to the border with Hungary that killed three migrants and wounded one.
Earlier on Friday, police additionally stated they arrested seven folks smugglers within the capital Belgrade and in Subotica, a metropolis close to the border with Hungary.
Stories of violence and gun battles between folks smuggling gangs have grow to be frequent within the border zone between Serbia and Hungary, a European Union member state. Migrants have been tenting within the space whereas searching for methods to cross into Hungary.
After the capturing final Saturday, police dispatched lots of of officers to the forested border zone whereas pledging to curb irregular migration and restore safety. Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic even warned authorities may ship within the army to take care of the issue.
Serbia lies on the coronary heart of the so-called Balkan land route of migration towards Western Europe, which leads from Turkey to Greece and Bulgaria, after which on to North Macedonia, Serbia or Bosnia. Crossings alongside the Balkan land route normally intensify within the fall as dangerous climate prevents migrants from taking the perilous journey over the Mediterranean Sea.
Hungary’s staunchly anti-immigrant authorities has put up a razor-wire fence on the borders with Serbia to cease the inflow, and has pushed again into Serbia migrants who enter Hungary. Folks smuggling gangs, nevertheless, have multiplied within the border space, typically clashing for management.
Migrants pay folks smugglers 2,350 euros ($2,500) every to cross from Serbia to Hungary, Serbian police stated.
Throughout week-long raids, police discovered 5 automated rifles, 5 weapons, over 1,500 items of ammunition and lots of of passports, the assertion stated. Police additionally discovered a ladder, about 4 meter-high (3.3 ft), which migrants used to cross the border fence, they stated.
___
Observe AP’s protection of migration points at https://apnews.com/hub/migration