Police arrested a Syrian man in Houten, Utrecht province, on Thursday, who is suspected of being a member of a people-smuggling gang.

Another four people were arrested in raids in the German towns of Bochum and Dortmund, and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, police in Munich said.

All five suspects are Syrian nationals aged between 26 and 37. They are thought to have smuggled hundreds of people, mostly Syrian, to Western Europe via the so-called Balkan route since 2021.

Police confiscated “ample proof, such as smartphones and vehicles used to commit the illegal activities, as well as small quantities of drugs,” a spokesman for European justice organisation Eurojust told broadcaster NOS.

According to the German police statement, “the suspects are accused of 40 cases of gang and commercial smuggling involving at least 500 people.”

Investigators believe the real numbers are far higher, with the organisation boasting of smuggling up to 480 people per day into Europe and Germany in 2022, German police said.

Depending on the route and effort involved, they charged fees of between €2,500 and €4,500 per person. Between 2022 and 2025, the smugglers are believed to have earned at least €1.4 million, though based on the group’s own claims, the total may be closer to €10 million.

Dutch police have not yet commented on Thursday’s raid, the AD reported. The public prosecutor told the paper the man had been subject to a European investigation order and that “legal assistance” had been offered.