A migrant trafficking ring that sold residence permits to wealthy Arabs and Chinese was dismantled by German police, arresting ten suspects.

The “luxury” ring was busted after a wide-ranging operation in eight federal states – North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein, Hesse, Rhineland-Palatinate, Baden-Württemberg, Berlin and Bavaria – in the early hours of the morning. , with the participation of 1,000 police officers and ten prosecutors

The international gang of “luxury” traffickers is believed to have sold wealthy Arabs and Chinese residence permits in Germany for as much as 350,000 euros, taking advantage of special rules for skilled workers from abroad.

As BILD reports, at least 350 such transactions have already taken place, with five- and six-figure sums in exchange, while there are suspicions of bribery of immigration officials and the involvement of law firms in the ring. Already among those arrested are two lawyers from North Rhine-Westphalia, where it is believed that the center of the gang’s activity was located.

According to the report of the Federal Crime Agency (BKA), 5,000 cases of alien trafficking were recorded in 2022, 30% more than the previous year.