Detected when examining A2 in Hergiswil NW
23 refugees crammed into pickup trucks
On Monday, Nidwalden County Police carried out a heavy traffic check on the A2 motorway. The patrol noticed a delivery truck with an Italian license plate. There were 23 refugees on board.
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The refugees stayed in this truck for several hours.
Fabian Babic, George Nober
On Monday, Nidwalden Cantonal Police revealed a serious case of people smuggling. Officers conducted a heavy traffic check on the A2 motorway in Buochs. The patrol noticed a transport vehicle with Italian license plates, which was heading north on the A2 motorway. The car was stopped at the Hergiswil exit.
Police discovered 23 refugees in the truck loading area, according to a statement. People were moved standing, unsafe and in a confined space.
Investigations against the driver
The 23 refugees held out for several hours without interruption in the closed, windowless cargo hold. The countries of origin are Afghanistan, India, Syria and Bangladesh. The ages of the refugees range from 20 to 50 years. And they were able to free them safely from the full crowded car. They stated that they wanted to travel illegally to European countries outside Switzerland.
There is no reliable information about the identity of the refugees, explains Sinad Sakic, chief of criminal police in Nidwalden, when asked by Blake. They are now housed in Stansstad NW. “They have shown that they are very cooperative,” says Sakic.
Nidwald police officers did not expect such a discovery. Sakic describes the incident as unusual. “Police officers may not have had a case like this at all,” said Blick’s chief of criminal police. At first you widen your eyes.
The travel should have gone from Basel to France
The refugee journey began in northern Italy. According to the statements they made to the police, some of them came to northern Italy via Romania. Another part of Italy went by train to Milan. There they would get a tow truck and take them to the delivery truck, according to chief Kripo Sakic. From there, a driver drove them to Switzerland – the destination was Basel. After that, another driver should have taken the group to France.
The driver is 27 years old and lives in Italy. He was arrested. He is being investigated in cooperation with the Public Prosecutor’s Office in Nidwalden on suspicion of human smuggling. The investigation also included the Immigration Office in the canton of Nidwalden.
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