Smell in Vienna's tractor network: six arrests!

Smell in Vienna's tractor network: six arrests!

Wien, Österreich - The Austrian authorities carried out a significant blow against an international tractor network in Vienna a few days ago. On May 27, six men were arrested as part of a joint campaign by the Federal Criminal Police Office and State Police Directorate, including five Afghans aged 21 to 54 and a 33-year-old Russian. These arrests were carried out at the order of the Vienna public prosecutor and are part of a comprehensive investigation, which began at the end of 2023 after the arrest of a Romanian tractor on the Styrian-Slovenian border. The alleged perpetrators are said to have been involved in the organization and implementation of illegal towing.

The network from which the arrested come is hierarchically structured. Romanian and Moldova citizens act on the lowest level, while those arrested themselves work on the top organizational level and use established networks to Afghanistan. According to Südtirol News, the towing prices are between 10,000 and 20,000 euros, depending on the route and duration selected, a considerable amount for the migrants concerned. During the house searches, the investigators were able to ensure cash, gold jewelry, diamonds, mobile phones, tablets and laptops, which indicates the profitable business of the network.

Financial structures and complications

The discovery of records on foreign transactions, which were organized according to the so-called "Hawala" principle, was particularly striking. This system is often used in the context of money transfers in countries where regular bank transactions are difficult. A partial confession of one of the accused referred to the payment of tug wages and the provision of mobile phones for the tractor trips. However, while he was partially confessed, other arrested people show themselves unreasonably. At the request of the public prosecutor's office, custody was imposed and the investigation into the financial infrastructure of the network continues.

The topic of towing and human trade is also linked to a variety of other offenses in the broadest sense. According to the Schleppler and Human Trade in 2019, the Federal Ministry of the Interior, these phenomena are closely linked to problems such as document falsification, prostitution as well as addiction and corruption. These offenses are not only a challenge for the security authorities, but also significantly endanger public order. Therefore, combating such activities requires a multidisciplinary approach that includes preventive measures in transit and origin countries. This is seen as a necessary step to effectively prevent unauthorized entry and towing.

In addition, a separate process for a trio is underway, which is also involved in the Hawala system and has handled tractor trips. However, this process is not related to the recently arrested. The current developments once again show how significant cooperation between different authorities and countries is in order to proceed against organized crimes behind the tugs.