European outlets have reported a number of crimes across in which scores of migrants are implicated. The cases include smuggling, drug trafficking, car theft and attacks with bladed weapons.
Up to €50,000 for passage to the UK
A joint operation conducted by authorities in Belgium, France and the United Kingdom, with the support of Europol and Eurojust, led to the discovery of a Vietnamese criminal network involved in smuggling migrants across the English Channel, generating illegal profits of over €1.6 million, with a single journey estimated to cost up to €50,000.
“The network organised over 200 transports from France to the United Kingdom, moving more than 1 000 migrants across the English Channel, with an estimated EUR 50 million in turnover. Financial investigations identified approximately EUR 1.6 million transferred from the United Kingdom to Vietnam,” says a statement from Europol on its website.
The migrants were transported in lorries travelling from ports in northern France to the UK. In some cases, small boats were used to cross the English Channel. Meanwhile, the sum of €50,000 seemed prohibitive for many migrants, resulting in them paying only a fraction of this amount and arriving in the UK with significant debts. They commonly paid £8,000 to £10,000 for the final leg from France to the UK as part of an overall package covering visa applications, flights to Europe, accommodation and transport. It left them vulnerable to sexual and labour exploitation in order to repay their smuggling fees.
The operation against the migrant smuggling organisers took place in the early hours of 30 March and resulted in the arrest of suspects at various levels of the network, such as those responsible for accommodation, transport and financial coordination. The operation resulted in the arrest of 19 suspects – 16 in France and 3 in the United Kingdom.
The ringleader is believed to be an unidentified woman based in Vietnam, highlighting the transnational structure of this and similar criminal networks and the need for continued cooperation along the entire smuggling route.
In addition, the investigation uncovered 20 search locations (16 in France and 4 in the UK); authorities also seized 1 flat, 10 vehicles, €60,000 and £2,500 in cash, as well as identity documents and travel documents, over 25 mobile phones and other electronic devices. In addition, 1 bank account containing €75,000 was frozen.
The smuggling of migrants remains a key criminal threat to the EU, requiring coordinated action across the entire criminal chain – from recruitment and transit to the financial flows that sustain it. Europol supports investigations, facilitates the exchange of information and coordinates joint operations to dismantle criminal networks. To strengthen Europol’s efforts to combat migrant smuggling, Regulation (EU) 2025/2611 was adopted in December 2025.
Switzerland: 60% of refugees from Maghreb accused of committing crimes
The Swiss media outlet 20 Minutes reported that crime rates among young men arriving from African countries have reached alarming levels, with the approval rate for asylum applications remaining extremely low.
The figures show that 2,127 Algerians applied for asylum last year. In the meantime, the approval rate for asylum applications remains extremely low: 0.3% for Algerians, 0.7% for Moroccans and 2.5% for Tunisians. During their stay in the country, applicants are linked to crime statistics, with 60% facing criminal charges, says a report by Ecoplan, written at the request of the Confederation and the cantons.
The issue of crime committed by migrants has been a major concern in French-speaking Switzerland for several years, but it is now coming to a head in various cantons, causing growing alarm. For example, in Thurgau, the number of car thefts has risen by 242%, with half of the cases identified involving “North African asylum seekers,” according to the NZZ.
The police describe them as “highly hostile” people who show no respect. Repeat crime is widespread, with some individuals committing offences several times over. For instance, the latest case involves a 29-year-old asylum seeker who was arrested on 18 March at the Echallens (VD) asylum seekers’ centre. He may be linked to nearly 80 cases recorded between 2020 and 2026 in several towns across the canton, including Lausanne, Yverdon, Payerne and Echallens, according to another article in 20 Minutes.
Florian Schneider, spokesperson for the St Gallen cantonal police, describes a “race against time” to arrest and convict offenders, as a prelude to possible deportation. “We see some repeat offenders up to three times in a single day,” he says, adding that he is concerned on profiles that are “highly hostile and very disrespectful towards officers.”
Experts and police officers stress deportation procedures are too slow and that the existing asylum system is being abused. According to Beat Stauffer, a journalist and specialist on the Maghreb, the asylum procedure for countries such as Algeria and Morocco needs to be reviewed. He claimed that “applications should only be processed if compelling reasons can be demonstrated from the outset.”
Moroccan migrant attacks local residents in Spain
Meanwhile, in Spain, recent days have been marred by a brutal attack. On 6 April, a man of Moroccan origin attacked three residents of Montefrío, including two women and another man, with an axe in the middle of the street and for no apparent reason, El Debate said.
Medical staff who arrived at the scene reported one woman had been struck on the head, while the other had sustained injuries to her hands; however, the man was not seriously injured. All three victims were taken to the trauma hospital in the capital, Granada, one of them by helicopter, as confirmed by the Spanish newspaper Granada Hoy from police sources and the Civil Guard.
The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. when a man, about whom little information has been disclosed – other than that he is a Moroccan national and that “he had not been in the town for long” – attacked the two victims with an axe, apparently “for no apparent reason,” according to the local police in Montefrío. The Civil Guard arrested the assailant at around 1.00 p.m.; after the attack, he had fled the scene and hidden amongst the olive trees to evade the police.
Eyewitnesses could not explain what prompted the attacker to act in this way. Later, they held a spontaneous protest at the doors of the consistory, as issues of insecurity, caused in particular by a group of seasonal workers from the Maghreb working in the area, are recurring.
Drug dealing in Paris and shouts of “Allahu Akbar” at a church in Essonne
The Parisian newspaper Le Parisien reported on 6 April that two migrants of Senegalese and Gabonese origin had been arrested in the French capital, having earned over €67,000 in two months from drug dealing in the Rosa Parks district in north-east Paris.
Mam S., 23, and Mohamed S., 24, had previous convictions and were banned from entering France. Despite this, they remained in the country and, according to the investigation, were involved in the sale of crack cocaine. The suspects had been under surveillance for several weeks. Upon their arrest and subsequent searches, the police discovered a large amount of cash, documents confirming money transfers to their home country and records indicating the volume of drug sales.
When asked about the source of these funds, the men tried to convince the police that they worked as warehouse porters. However, they were unable to provide any employment contracts or legal proof of their employment. Both are currently in custody.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a Tunisian national, Aymen B., 43, burst into a church in Essonne on 4 April and confronted worshippers, repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar.” Four people were present in the building at the time of the incident, including the priest. It was the priest who immediately alerted the police, Valeurs reported.
Following his arrest, Aymen B. underwent a psychiatric assessment, which confirmed his mental capacity. His home was also searched. The search proved fruitless, but it emerged that the man had consumed a large quantity of cannabis.
The man also admitted that he had been overcome by a momentary fit of madness and confessed to having smoked a joint just before the incident. Aymen B. then said that he did not understand his own actions. Upon searching his mobile phone, officers discovered that he had carried out some intriguing searches. The man had searched for “Al Jazeera” and “Bin Laden” online. He was taken into police custody before being released.
