Police across Europe have broken up an Iraqi-run network that smuggled illegal immigrants into the continent for fees of up to €12,000 per person, European officials said today.
"This was one of the largest coordinated actions against people smugglers ever, involving more than 1,300 police officers," Europol and Eurojust, the continent's Hague-based police and prosecution agencies, said in a joint statement.
They said police had arrested 75 people in joint investigations in Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Britain.
A Garda spokesman said a premises in Dublin's south inner city had been raided in conjunction with the investigation, but no arrests had been made.