Macedonian police arrest alleged human smugglers in border village
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 27 April 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Macedonian police arrest alleged human smugglers in border village, 27 April 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4fab71662.html [accessed 7 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
April 27, 2012
By RFE/RL's Balkan Service
SKOPJE – Macedonian police say they have broken up a human trafficking ring by arresting two Macedonian citizens in a village near the border with Serbia.
The two men, whose names were not released, have been charged with "trafficking immigrants, kidnapping, and robbery."
Police also found 59 migrants from Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China – including four children and a pregnant woman – during their search for the suspects in the village of Lojane, about 45 kilometers north of Skopje.
In January, RFE/RL's Balkan Service documented how the predominantly ethnic-Albanian village of Lojane has become a stopover on illegal migration routes from Asia and North Africa to Western Europe.
Those reports included interviews in Lojane with illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Pakistan, Turkish Kurds, Chinese, and North Africans.
With reporting by AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
