site.btaAustrian Police Arrest Bulgarian Transporting Illegal Migrants

The police in Vösendorf, Lower Austria, have pulled over a specially converted vehicle with three double decks attached to the bottom in which a Bulgarian driver was illegally transporting five Syrians, the Austrian news agency APA and electronic media reported. 

The modifications to the floor of the van were not initially noticed by police officers. Only after a tip-off from a witness were they able to track the vehicle. After questioning the five Syrians, aged 16 to 50, investigators finally discovered the double bottom.

The five Syrians paid between EUR 5,000 and EUR 6,000 per person.

The driver, a 36-year-old Bulgarian, has been arrested and is already being questioned, said police spokesman Johann Baumschlager.

"He admitted the illegal transport. He also stated that he travelled to Austria several times a month in this converted vehicle," Baumschlager explained.

Three double-decks were attached to the bottom of the vehicle's trailer by means of a tow rope.

Travelling in absolutely inhumane conditions - this was graphically shown by a police officer, who demonstrated how the transportees were lying in the adapted cages - right next to the drive shaft and exhaust pipe, just inches above the road. The manner in which the vehicle was converted suggests "that this is not the only vehicle that has been hydraulically converted," Baumschlager said.

According to the police, the fact that smugglers are stepping up their efforts shows that measures such as border and in-country checks, as well as increased international cooperation, are bearing fruit. High penalties are also a deterrent, the police spokesman said. One consequence of this is that smugglers' rewards have "increased enormously". "A year ago a smuggling operation from Turkiye to Austria cost EUR 1,500, now it costs many times more," Baumschlager added.

The number of people entering Lower Austria illegally increased in the first four months of this year. In the same period, the number of people who entered the country with the help of smugglers fell significantly - from 909 to 219. And despite increased controls, only one smuggler has been arrested this year, compared with 18 last year. Strict controls are yielding results, the police stressed.

The five Syrians did not apply for asylum in Austria, they allegedly continued their journey to Germany after interrogation. The seized vehicle will be scrapped after a forensic examination.