Europol launches European Migrant Smuggling Centre, EMSC.

Europol launches European Migrant Smuggling Centre, EMSC.  (MaltaToday).

Europol has launched the new European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC), with the aim of supporting member states in dismantling criminal networks involved in organised migrant smuggling.

The Centre will focus on geographical criminal hotspots, and will build a better capability across the European Union to fight people smuggling networks.

Dimitris Avramopoulos, EU Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, said: “The fight against migrant smuggling is a key priority for the European Union in addressing the refugee crisis. In order to step up and coordinate efforts across Member States, the European Commission announced the creation of a European Migrant Smuggling Centre with Europol in its European Agenda on Migration. The launch of this Centre will reinforce cooperation with Member States, international organisations, national stakeholders and European agencies, with a responsibility to fight migrant smuggling.”

Rob Wainwright, Director of Europol; said: “Europol’s research indicates 90% of migrants arriving in Europe have their journey facilitated by a criminal organisation. Tackling this huge people smuggling trade, therefore, has become an essential part of the EU’s response to the migrant crisis.

The European Migrant Smuggling Centre will provide the necessary platform by which Member States can improve their exchange of information and operational coordination in the fight against organised migrant smuggling.”

The European Migrant Smuggling Centre will be led by Robert Crepinko who said: “The EMSC will play a decisive role in proactively supporting Member States to target and dismantle organised crime networks involved in migrant smuggling. Acting as an information hub, this Centre will support the EU Regional Task Force and the work of other partner agencies.”  Read the full story here.

The Islamic State is still seeping through the Syria-Turkey border.

The Islamic State is still seeping through the Syria-Turkey border. (AlMonitor).

The roads from Kilis to Jarablus and Al Rai have been the scenes of some strange events over the past few years. The government, under pressure to control the militants' border access, has been erecting walls at key crossing points. The measures have caused some reduction in this traffic, but not stopped it entirely.

Reading the logs, one gets the impression that the border is sealed against illegal crossings. If you ask the Ankara government, no other country does as much to combat IS as Turkey. The reality is that the border is not sealed, nor is it truly open.

Selim Bayturkmen, who publishes a local newspaper in Kilis, told Al-Monitor that there are fewer

 crossings than before, although entries via the villages of Cildiroba and Besiriye continue.

A local source involved in transportation in Elbeyli told Al-Monitor, “There aren’t all that many measures the government is boasting about. Up until six months ago, 2,000-3,000 people used to cross the border daily in both directions. It was a beehive of activity with buses and minibuses forming long lines. Those vehicles are engaged only in bringing people from the Kilis bus terminal to Elbeyli to sneak into Syria. A ditch was dug and a wall is going up. Crossings have declined, but not ended. They take place mainly in the evenings, particularly from the villages of Arpakesmez, Akinci and Inanli. I can’t give you an exact figure but we have daily traffic of 200 to 400 people.”

“Human traffickers are not under pressure. I haven’t heard of anyone detained for smuggling people. There is much money in this business. Smugglers have houses right on the border. They charge $100 to $300 per person to cross over. At nights they pay a noncommissioned officer $2,000 to $2,500 to look the other way for 15 minutes. Imagine how much money they must be making. All the border villages got involved in this business and many people have become rich.”

Reminded that the Turkish Armed Forces' website reporting the daily capture of IS militants gives the impression that there is no tolerance whatsoever at the border, Togrul replied, “Do you know how long they are detained? We are told they are apprehended, but most of them are quickly released.

Their organization in Gaziantep is not a secret. They operate in broad daylight. Many nongovernmental organizations in side streets are actually IS fronts. [The Justice and Development Party's] struggle against IS is not sincere. The local administration is not honest either. They don’t consider IS militants terrorists. 

Also, this human trafficking has become a lucrative source of income for our border villagers. We know that in the 98-kilometer gap they provide crossing services for IS and earn big-time money.” Hmmm...........Never Trust a Turk on his word. Read the full story here.

HT And Source:

This is a must read article with local sources pointing to the still running #ISIS #Turkey 'pipeline'#Syriahttps://t.co/gFGJvl7iCX

— маяковский (@moscow_ghost) February 4, 2016

Turkish Smugglers offer 'all-inclusive' packages to 'refugees' who want to get to Europe and Canada

Turkish Smugglers offer 'all-inclusive' packages to 'refugees' who want to get to Europe and Canada. (CBC).

Turkish print journalist Sefik Dinç recently posed as a refugee here to find out more about the nuts and bolts of those deals.

"The easiest part was actually getting a passport," he tells me at his employer's office in Istanbul's Taksim district.

The price started at 1,000 euros ($1,350 Cdn). Dinç said he couldn't afford that. The smuggler lowered it to 500 euros. An easier bargain to get, he says, because he was asking for a blank passport, with no exit stamps.

The forged credentials made Dinç a citizen of Finland "within two days." The simplicity of that step can be deceptive.

Like Lezieh, the majority of Syrian refugees are looking to land in European Union countries. Many have friends, family or contacts there and they believe stability and job opportunities will await them there that will guarantee them a better life.

For those reasons and based on his research, Dinç says Germany is at the top of many refugee wish lists. Scandinavian countries are a close second — their social assistance programs are a big draw, Dinç says.

Where does Canada factor in? How much would it cost?

"Compared to Europe, Canada is lower on the list. But there are still people who want to go to Canada," Dinç says the smuggler told him.

The complete, all-inclusive package from a fake passport and other documents for a flight to Canada — $15,000.

It is an expensive risk, and even with the chance of being caught, airline travel is seen as the safest option.

Those who can't afford multiple plane tickets for their families choose to make the now infamous ferry crossing to Europe. Read the full story here.