According to Swiss public broadcaster SRF, the 48-year-old Italian was travelling with four Iraqis and now faces trial for facilitating the illegal entry of migrants. The Iraqi citizens the man smuggled in his car are between 20 and 45 years old, according police. The suspected smuggler was wanted in several cantons. The four Iraqis he smuggled applied for asylum. They are charged with intentional and unlawful entry into the country.
In recent years, Switzerland is reporting higher numbers of smugglers believed to be ferrying migrants through the country to points north, according to the Federal Customs Office.
Between January and August 2017, border guards arrested 271 people on suspicion of smuggling, compared to 197 over the same period a year before, according to numbers obtained by the Swiss news agency SDA. Most of those arrested came from Switzerland, followed by Italy, Germany, Kosovo and Syria. Among the smugglers, 231 used road networks while 36 brought migrants over the border via the train and four used airline routes.
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The cantonal parliament of Vaud has approved a loan of CHF9.5 million ($11.5 million) for Château de Chillon, the most-visited monument in Switzerland.
Swiss party president Thierry Burkart to step down in October
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Thierry Burkart, president of the centre-right Radical-Liberal Party, wants to hand over the presidency in October, around two years before the next national elections.
Climate Alliance presents action plan on 20th anniversary
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The Swiss Climate Alliance has presented an action plan showing how Switzerland could make a success of the energy transition and achieve a net zero balance within ten years.
Swiss business group expects export slump after strong start to year
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The Swiss economy was still robust in the first quarter of 2025 but is coming under increasing pressure, says the Swiss business federation, economiesuisse.
Five arrested in Switzerland in human-trafficking raid
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Law enforcement authorities in Switzerland and Romania have busted a human trafficking ring. They arrested a total of 17 suspects.
OECD significantly lowers Swiss GDP forecast due to Trump
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The Swiss economy is likely to grow more slowly in 2025 and 2026 than previously assumed, according to the OECD economic organisation.
UBS economists more confident about Swiss economy in 2025
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UBS economists have revised upwards their estimates of Swiss GDP growth for the current year. However, they are more pessimistic for next year, due to the spectre of US tariffs.
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Swiss politician guilty of helping illegal immigrants
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In a statement released on Thursday, the prosecutor said Mirra was guilty of violating the Swiss law on foreigners, and handed her an 80-day fine suspended for two years. The member of the Social Democratic party and her accomplice were intercepted by border guards in September 2016 while transporting four migrants of African origin in…
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Switzerland is reporting higher numbers of smugglers believed to be ferrying migrants through the country to points north, according to the latest data and statements by the Federal Customs Office. David Marquis, a spokesperson for the customs authorities, told the SonntagsBlick newspaper that “more smuggling is taking place compared to previous years”. Border guards, Marquis…
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The hard-hitting advert, which has been aired on prime-time television in Cameroon and Nigeria, depicts the life of freshly arrived migrants in Europe as one fraught with problems and dangers. In the film an African migrant phones his father from somewhere in Europe in the pouring rain and assures him that all is well while…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.