Frontex, which on 6 October became the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, led two international actions in September that were focused on dismantling migrant smuggling networks at land borders and the role of organised crime in arranging the smuggling of people on passenger flights.
The actions, previously called Joint Action Days (JAD), were organised under the umbrella of EU policy cycle/EMPACT (European Multidisciplinary Platform against Criminal Threats), within Ciconia Alba concept. They were conducted in close cooperation with EU Member States, Europol and Interpol. The actions focus on particular targets and threats at selected airports, harbours and main routes across land borders, as well as criminal groups and their specific methods.
In Action Danube, which was co-led with Hungary, participating organisations worked together to tackle people smuggling, gather intelligence on people smuggling networks and cross-check national and international databases. The operation included national police officers focusing on criminal issues, Frontex guest officers, as well as Interpol and Europol. As a result, 540 irregular migrants were detected and 10 people smugglers arrested, while 210 people were refused entry. Danube also resulted in detections of smuggled cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, along with stolen vehicles.
The week-long Danube took place at the land borders in the Western Balkans region, especially Hungary’s border with Serbia. Several countries, including Austria and Romania, deployed its liaison officers to the coordination centre located in Szeged, a city in southern Hungary near the Serbian border. Europol and Interpol supported Danube with direct access to their databases and analysis of gathered intelligence. Close cooperation with Hungary and Europol allowed the authorities to extract information from seized electronic devices, including cell phones.
Meanwhile, Action Bellerophon took place at nine airports around Europe, focusing on the involvement of organised crime in smuggling people using commercial flights. Europol and Interpol also supported the operation. One of the main findings of Bellerophon was the high use of fake or fraudulently obtained documents and misuse of documents by passengers on certain routes. Nearly 40 such cases were reported during the week-long Bellerophon.