Trouble at the border

Escape, arrests: Smuggling trio triggers major operation

Ten seized tow trucks are currently parked near the border in Nikitsch.

(Bild: Christian schulter)

Turbulent scenes at night at the C117 border stone: police dogs searched for 12 migrants and hunted down mafia accomplices.

Actually, the apprehension figures are in the basement. Only five refugees were reported in Burgenland last week. "Things are quieter on the border with Hungary than they have been for years," is the current assessment. Only many stopped smugglers' vehicles, which are still parked along the main routes, are reminiscent of the peak times in 2023 with up to 3,000 refugees every week.

Driver sped off
But now another gang of smugglers has caused a stir. At around three o'clock on Thursday night, soldiers in Neumarkt an der Raab stopped three cars with Italian license plates that were trying to cross the border in a convoy. When the recruits approached the cars to check them, the driver of the first car broke free and sped off.

Collision during escape
The escape route of the other two cars was blocked. Suddenly the doors opened, two traffickers and 12 migrants jumped out into the open. They ran away in panic. In the midst of the turmoil, one of the perpetrators' cars collided with an army vehicle.

This young service dog helped to catch 12 migrants and one trafficker.

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

Animal help
Major alarm triggered! With two sniffer dogs, the service dog patrol from Königsdorf also set off in search of the fugitives. The investigators on four paws - the younger dog had only completed his special training with flying colors a week ago - were successful. The migrants - five men and seven women, presumably from China - and a smuggler were tracked down in the dark behind bushes.

Officers apprehended the second smuggler with the help of the police helicopter. There was initially no trace of the third criminal. The migrants were taken to Heiligenkreuz for registration. Investigators from the district police command in Jennersdorf took care of the interrogation of the suspects. The perpetrators are accomplices of the Chinese smuggling mafia who live in Italy. They were traveling in rental cars.

The second perpetrator was tracked down with the help of the police helicopter.

(Bild: Schulter Christian)

Smuggler cars at the border
With this major apprehension, 213 migrants have turned up in Burgenland since January - as many as a year ago in a single day. A total of four smugglers have been caught this year. Speaking of the vehicles involved: there are currently ten seized smugglers' cars near the border in Nikitsch and in Deutschkreutz.

There are a few dozen in Nickelsdorf. The cars are often parked in parking lots for months, annoying local residents. Most of the cars and small trucks can be auctioned off, but the legal process with the authorities takes time.