German police target China-linked human smuggling gang with raids on homes and businesses

BERLIN (AP) — More than 1,000 police officers have searched dozens of homes, stores and lawyers’ offices across western and southern Germany in a large-scale raid against an international human smuggling gang. German news agency dpa says 10 suspects were detained early Wednesday. The suspects are accused of having taken advantage of special German immigration rules for skilled foreign workers to procure residency permits for around 350 mostly Chinese nationals in exchange for hundreds of thousands of euros (dollars). Raids were carried out in states including North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Hamburg and Berlin. According to daily Bild newspaper, several employees of immigration offices were bribed in the scam.