German police raid suspected people smuggling gang

A cameraman films a room after German police raid on illegal immigrant workers in Hamburg, Germany, May 8, 2018. (Reuters/Fabian Bimmer)

German policemen carry items collected after a raid on illegal immigrant workers in Hamburg, Germany, May 8, 2018. (Reuters/Fabian Bimmer)

• police said 800 officers searched 21 offices and homes in Hamburg and Bremen, Lower Saxony and Saxony Anhalt states

BERLIN: Hundreds of police have raided premises in four German states as part of a probe into a suspected people smuggling ring.
Federal police say the gang is suspected of helping mostly Moldovans enter Germany and work there illegally, using fake Romanian identity documents.
In a statement Tuesday, police said 800 officers searched 21 offices and homes in Hamburg and Bremen, Lower Saxony and Saxony Anhalt states.
Police said three main suspects — two Germans and a Russian — were arrested in Hamburg late Monday. The gang, comprising at least eight people, also includes Ukrainians.
At least 35 illegal immigrants were found at premises in Hamburg.
According to the police statement, some of the suspects in Saxony-Anhalt had ties to the far-right Reich Citizens movement.