More than 1,000 police officers searched homes, stores, and lawyers' offices across western and southern Germany targeting a human smuggling gang. The suspects are accused of exploiting German immigration rules for skilled foreign workers, aiding 350 Chinese nationals in obtaining residency permits for hefty payments. Assets were seized and evidence collected during the raids. The investigation found that employees of immigration offices were bribed in the scheme.
The raids and arrests were concentrated in states like North Rhine-Westphalia, with ten suspects detained, including two lawyers. These individuals were involved in the fraudulent procurement of residency permits for Chinese nationals in return for large sums of money. This high-scale operation aimed to dismantle an international human smuggling ring taking advantage of loopholes in Germany's immigration regulations.
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