Migrants are rescued and brought to the southeast coast of England, after crossing the English Channel on November 24, 2021. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Officers carried out dawn raids in Belgium, Britain, France, the Netherlands, and Germany. Police said the German city of Osnabrueck is a hub for people smugglers. The coordinated campaign involved hundreds of police officers from Europol and the European Union judicial agency Eurojust.

The German magazine Der Spiegel reported that the operation targeted organized groups bringing immigrants to England. It quoted Osnabrueck police as saying the ring has smuggled close to 10,000 people across the English Channel in the past 12 to 18 months.

Special forces were deployed because the suspects were believed to be armed and dangerous, Der Spiegel reported.