Police in Korca have arrested a 37-year-old man for transporting nine illegal immigrants to Tirana.
He was arrested at the Qafe Plloce-Qukes road axis. It is reported that he was charging between EUR 1000 and EUR 1200 per person for transport to Tirana and then the continuation to one of the northern border points. The final destination for the immigrants was to be a European Union country.
Albania has long been a transit country for Syrian and Palestinian immigrants to EU countries. According to the police, the Korca-Tirana-Shkodra road is the main route used by traffickers recently.
The police have arrested a spate of individuals over the last few weeks for transporting immigrants illegally across the border and through the country.
Today, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi will attend a ministerial conference on illegal migration through the Balkans. The aim of the conference is to promote practical cooperation between the participating countries to address the issue along the Western Balkans route.
In June 2020, following the easing of anti-COVID-19 measures, the Western Balkans became the preferred route for illegal immigrants to cross into EU countries, according to a report published by Frontex.
