Criminal networks charge tens of thousands of euros to smuggle one person into Europe. Europol wants to put them out of business. Its new European Centre Against Migrant Smuggling (ECAMS) shifts the focus from chasing individual cases to dismantling entire criminal operations.
Smuggling groups are growing more sophisticated, more global, and more active online. “Migrant smuggling networks are operating with increasing complexity, both online and offline,” Europol Executive Director Catherine De Bolle said at the launch in The Hague. “They have a significant global dimension and rely on multi-layered financial infrastructures, including underground banking systems, to move and conceal their criminal profits,” she added.
Beyond individual cases
In the past year alone, Europol supported close to 200 operations and coordinated 56 joint action days targeting smuggling groups across Europe. Its analysts processed more than 12,000 intelligence inputs and produced over 1,000 operational reports. This helped authorities identify high-value targets and map transnational networks. ECAMS expands this model further. The focus shifts from individual cases to identifying weaknesses across entire smuggling infrastructures.
A critical edge in the fight to dismantle smuggling operations and tackle the organised criminal groups profiting from the desperation of illegal migration.—Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs
Europol data shows smugglers charge up to €20,000 per person for complex cross-border journeys. People travelling from Iran to Germany, the Netherlands, or the United Kingdom have paid up to €15,000. Western Balkan routes alone fetch around €13,000 per person. Magnus Brunner, Commissioner for Migration and Home Affairs, said ECAMS gives the EU “a critical edge in the fight to dismantle smuggling operations and tackle the organised criminal groups profiting from the desperation of illegal migration.”
The online sphere
Modern migrant smuggling is shifting rapidly online. Networks increasingly rely on social media platforms, encrypted messaging services, and digital forums to recruit clients, advertise crossings, and coordinate logistics. ECAMS will expand Europol’s open-source intelligence (OSINT) and digital investigative capabilities. This includes the DigiNeX network of specialised investigators.
The goal is to identify and disrupt online recruitment pipelines before journeys begin. The approach is already proving its worth. During joint digital action days in March, over 30 experts within a Joint Investigation Team focused on Mediterranean routes—supported by Europol and DigiNeX—identified ten high-value targets and generated more than 1,000 investigative leads.
ECAMS is now operational. Keeping pace with networks that adapt quickly is the real test. The criminals have a head start online. Europol is betting it can close the gap.
