Turkey has witnessed the biggest increase in suspected people smugglers during the current refugee and migrant crisis engulfing Europe, according to Europol.
During the last year alone, police recorded 423 suspected traffickers in the country – an increase of 295 per cent since the previous year. The second highest increase was witnessed in Ukraine, where there was a surge of 157 per cent.
The UK is ranked eighth in the list of most common nations in the EU for human trafficking, with 136 suspects. However, that number has fallen since last summer by roughly 47 per cent.
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Police and humanitarian groups warn that a huge number of refugees and migrants are exposed to smugglers who demand enormous payments in return for providing false documents or transportation on dangerous travel routes.
"Labour exploitation also remains a constant risk for irregular migrants who are vulnerable to abuse and debt bondage by criminal networks," says Europol.
A former trafficker recently claimed that African refugees and migrants who can't pay for their travel are being killed so their organs can be sold and used in illegal transplants.
Europol says it has witnessed a "key development" in the smuggling routes used to enter the EU and reach the most desired destinations in northern and western Europe.
"In the past weeks, crossings along the eastern Mediterranean route have increased, whereas the central Mediterranean route continues to be the primary entry route for migrant smuggling into the EU in 2016," the agency says.
The United Nations warns that the smuggling of vulnerable and desperate people in search of a better life is a "truly global concern" with deadly consequences.
"They may suffocate in containers, perish in deserts or drown at sea while being smuggled by profit-seeking criminals who treat them as goods," it says.Infographic by www.statista.com for TheWeek.co.uk.
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