A group of Turkmenistan citizens has been detained in Poland on suspicion of human trafficking, as reported by the Polish border service on their Facebook page.
The suspects were apprehended in different locations, with a total of 15 Turkmenistan citizens involved in the group. The group's operations involved transporting migrants through Belarus, where they would then be smuggled into Poland and further into Western Europe.
Members of the gang face up to 12 years in prison, with the investigation ongoing. Reports from turkmen.news have previously highlighted Turkmen involvement in human trafficking in Belarus, with students from Turkmenistan aiding in smuggling individuals from the Middle East.
Despite Poland reinforcing its border with Belarus, traffickers continue to find ways to bypass security measures. Students in Belarus reportedly earn thousands of dollars per trip to the border, with an ethnic Kurd allegedly funding these operations.
In the past, Turkmenistan citizens detained in Belarus for similar crimes were sentenced to several years in prison or deported. Following the conflict in Ukraine, many Turkmenistan citizens fled to Western European countries, some returning home while others sought asylum in various EU nations.
Hundreds of Turkmenistan nationals remain in EU countries, unwilling to return home and opting to seek political asylum in countries like Germany and the Netherlands.
