German police launch raids against Syrian trafficking ring

German police launch mass raids targeting a trafficking ring accused of fraudulently using Syrian refugees’ residency documents to enable compatriots to come to Germany.

Around 1,000 officers are deployed to search more than 50 residential and business premises in and around the eastern city of Leipzig, according to the federal police office in Halle an der Saale.

Police believe the ring operated by using genuine residency documents issued to Syrian refugees in Germany, which were sent to people in Syria with a similar appearance.

Most of those targeted in the raids were suspected of allowing their documents to be used in the scheme, with a smaller number suspected of allowing “unauthorized entry” to Germany.