Group of people smugglers sentenced to prison terms of three to five years

The Regional Court in Hradec Králové on Thursday handed out prison sentences to all 14 foreigners accused of people smuggling from Turkey to the Czech Republic and other EU countries. The highest penalty was a sentence of 5.5 years in prison and a hefty fine, the rest received 3-year sentences. According to the judge, the accused acted as an international organized criminal group operating in multiple countries and facilitated the illegal crossing of at least 2,000 migrants, mostly Turkish Kurds, to Europe.