The routes of migrants in Europe: Transnational Organized Crime (TOC) and its Role in Human Smuggling

Abstract

The European Union is facing the biggest migratory pressure it has experienced since it came together as a union. The exceptional increase of the number of migrants and refugees directed to the EU has resulted in an exponential growth of the role of organized crime groups which are taking advantage of the current humanitarian crisis. In order to maximize their profits, criminal syndicates operating in the European migrant smuggling market have evolved from domestic nature to more transnational characteristics, developing a complex system of transnational illegal networks. This paper analyses the nature and the role of criminal actors involved in migrant smuggling, focusing on the main features of this market describing the two main smuggling routes controlled by these networks, the Central Mediterranean route and the Balkan route.