10 arrested in large-scale raid in Germany targeting human smuggling gang that exploits visa permits

BERLIN (AP) — German authorities conducted a large-scale raid against an international human smuggling gang early Wednesday, police said in a statement. More than 1,000 police officers searched dozens of homes, stores and offices across western and southern Germany and arrested 10 suspects, including two lawyers. The suspects are accused of having illegally taken advantage of special German immigration rules reserved only for skilled foreign workers to procure residency permits for around 350 mostly Chinese nationals — who don’t meet the needed criteria— in exchange for hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars). According to daily Bild newspaper, several employees of immigration offices were bribed in the scam.