An operation against illegal immigration was conducted by the Border Police of Trieste against the members of a Chinese criminal organization which facilitated the entry of compatriots into Italy and also into other European countries, via the Balkan route.
27 people were reported and 9 arrested, of which eight were caught while attempting to carry out illegal transfers from the Italian-Slovenian border to their respective destinations and one believed to be the head of the organisation.
The total number of irregular foreigners identified during the investigative activities amounted to 77, including many women and some minors between 15 and 18 years of age. Furthermore, during the operation called “Chinese Shuttles”, 18 vehicles and a sum of money equal to approximately 10 thousand euros were seized.
The investigations made it possible to ascertain that the organization transported illegal immigrants by car from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia to the Italian border. Once in Italy they were picked up by compatriots and taken to a “safe house” in Cazzago di Pianiga (Venice), where the foreigners stayed for one or two days before being sent to their final places in Italy, France or Spain.
During their stay in the safe house, the illegal immigrants had their passports taken away, effectively making them invisible to the authorities and condemning them to a sort of slavery and once they reached their destination they were forced to work in exploitative conditions to pay off the debt incurred for the journey .
During the search of the house used as a sorting point, in addition to the arrested people, three illegal Chinese foreigners were also found inside who were staying in the apartment waiting to be transported to their respective final destinations. The latter were accompanied to the Venice police headquarters, where they were subjected to an expulsion order from the national territory.
