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ECAMS will provide member states with operational, technical and forensic support to dismantle criminal networks, the EU police agency announces.
Europol has established a new specialized Center against migrant smuggling (ECAMS), with the aim of enabling the complete destruction of smuggling networks and their logistical infrastructure through financial investigations and data and intelligence analysis.
According to the announcement of the European Union's police agency, ECAMS will provide member states with concrete operational, technical and forensic support in the fight against these criminal networks.
The center will focus its activity mainly on database management, the use of open source intelligence, operational analysis, as well as strategic and operational actions in the field.
"By combining data from member states and partners, as well as using advanced analytical tools, ECAMS will enable investigators to map criminal networks, identify collaborators and determine the highest-risk targets," the statement said.
Europol emphasizes that the activities of migrant smugglers extend beyond continental borders and are increasingly present online, where they recruit associates, promote their criminal services and lure migrants into life-threatening journeys, often costing thousands of euros.
Europol Director Catherine de Bolle stated that smuggling networks are becoming increasingly complex and rely on multi-layered financial structures, including "underground banking systems used to move and hide criminal profits."
According to Europol data, smugglers can charge up to 20,000 euros to transport a person from their country of origin to a third country. For example, migrants pay up to 15,000 euros to be smuggled from Iran to Germany, the Netherlands or the United Kingdom, while transportation along the Western Balkans route to Germany costs around 13,000 euros.
Europol emphasizes that the new approach strengthens the focus on financial investigations, the freezing and confiscation of illegally obtained assets, and the dismantling of the business models behind migrant smuggling, making it more difficult for these networks to operate and expand.
At the same time, in line with the EU's efforts to address the cross-border nature of this crime, ECAMS will strengthen coordination with Member States and international partners, with the aim of coordinated pursuit of criminal networks along smuggling routes.
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