Human smugglers adopt new Europe routes

Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Belarus new transit hubs

ISLAMABAD:

Human traffickers have established new transit routes for illegally smuggling Pakistanis into Europe after intensified enforcement made traditional "Dunki" routes increasingly difficult to use, according to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) sources.

Investigators said arrested human smugglers had disclosed several new routes that now pass through countries including Malaysia, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

In response, the FIA has tightened scrutiny of passengers travelling to these destinations, with suspected illegal migrants being offloaded from flights.

According to FIA sources, one of the newly identified routes involves transporting Pakistani nationals to Malaysia on valid visas before moving them onward to Egypt and Libya and eventually facilitating their illegal entry into Europe.

Another emerging route begins with obtaining visas for Uzbekistan, from where migrants are transported to Belarus before being smuggled across the border into Poland.

Sources said the Poland border is crossed through difficult overland terrain before migrants continue their journey deeper into Europe.

A third route takes migrants to Mauritania and Senegal, from where they are transported by boat to Spain's semi-autonomous Canary Islands.

According to sources, migrants are then moved illegally from the Canary Islands into mainland Spain. The islands are located only about 100 kilometres off the northwest coast of Africa, making them a key gateway for irregular migration into Europe.