Raid in Tyrol

Ten arrests on fiber optic construction site

The police operation took place at this construction site in Buch.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

"Illegals" were apparently at work on a Tyrolean construction site on behalf of the state-owned A1 Telekom Austria. This was revealed by a police raid in Buch. The investigation is ongoing.

The strange goings-on at the A1 construction site in Buch in the district of Schwaz caught the eye of locals: the apparent capo appeared rather casually in a tracksuit, some employees were sleeping in a vehicle.

The fact that the dozen or so people were a colorful mix of nationalities could be considered normal for the industry.

The workers were taken to the police detention center shortly after these photos were taken.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

The police were there at 11 o'clock
One thing is certain: presumably following tip-offs, the financial police turned up at the construction site at 11 a.m. on August 16, and officers from the Strass police station were called in shortly afterwards.

"In handcuffs", as witnesses describe it, ten men were then taken away. The fact that they were all taken to the police detention center (PAZ) in Innsbruck shows that they and their company are accused of serious offenses.

The detainees do not have a work visa for Austria.

Polizeisprecher Christian Viehweider

No work visa for Austria
"Yes, the ten people were arrested. They do not have work visas for Austria," explained police spokesman Christian Viehweider. The people come from Turkey, China and Uzbekistan, i.e. from EU third countries.

"One of them was able to submit additional documents and was arrested," added the police spokesperson. Investigations - including into illegal employment - are ongoing.

Local companies were also working with heavy equipment, but they had nothing to do with the illegal employment.(Bild: zoom.tirol)

Telekom Austria praises diligence
Embarrassing for the state-owned domestic company A1 Telekom Austria. Are we not even looking closely at subcontractors for cost reasons? When asked by "Krone", the company emphasized: "The A1 fiber optic network is currently being expanded in around 100 municipalities. We are working exclusively with Austrian contractors." Close attention is paid to compliance with legal requirements.

"We are taking the incident seriously"
Regarding the Buch case, the statement is brief: "We are taking the incident very seriously and are in close contact with the contractor." In the first two quarters of 2024, the financial police inspected 1,270 companies in Tyrol, and the fines applied for amounted to 1.02 million euros.