'Human traffickers made up to £4 billion in the last year', Europol finds

Europol's director said human traffickers are exploiting Europe's refugee crisis. Credit: Reuters/Yannis Behrakis

Criminal gangs exploited Europe's refugee crisis last year and made up to £4 billion, according to the European Union's law enforcement agency.

Europol said human traffickers have created a money-spinning industry fuelled by a "seismic" development in the trade in Europe.

Europol's director Rob Wainwright told the Independent on Sunday that the figures were established through debriefings with 1,500 asylum-seekers, refugees and economic migrants which showed that 90% had paid a criminal gang to reach Europe.

Europol's director said human traffickers are exploiting Europe's refugee crisis. Credit: Armin Weigel / DPA/PA Images

Europol identified 10,700 suspects last year from networks spanning from sub-Saharan Africa to Scandinavia.

The scale of the crisis means that smugglers, many of whom may also be involved in the drug trade, have found a new lucrative supply of victims and governments and law enforcement need to toughen up, according to Mr Wainwright.

He said: "We're going to have to up our game in terms of dismantling this criminal infrastructure in a more successful way than we have done in the past."