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| Promise of Europe Lures Syrians and Smugglers | Promise of Europe Lures Syrians and Smugglers |
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| SIDE, Turkey — He left his home in Syria over a year ago and set out more than a dozen times, he said, on perilous and ill-fated seaborne journeys to the promised lands of Western Europe. He never made it. In his last attempt, the fishing boat he was on capsized, killing 44 people, including one of his best friends. | SIDE, Turkey — He left his home in Syria over a year ago and set out more than a dozen times, he said, on perilous and ill-fated seaborne journeys to the promised lands of Western Europe. He never made it. In his last attempt, the fishing boat he was on capsized, killing 44 people, including one of his best friends. |
| “I swam for 11 ½ hours before I was rescued by the Turks,” the man said. “That’s when I realized that I would never make it to Europe. So I decided to stay and help people get there myself.” | “I swam for 11 ½ hours before I was rescued by the Turks,” the man said. “That’s when I realized that I would never make it to Europe. So I decided to stay and help people get there myself.” |
| The decision proved to be profitable for the man, who is known as Abu Mohammed, a pseudonym he chose to protect his identity because of the illegal nature of his work and the fact that he is wanted by Interpol, he said. | The decision proved to be profitable for the man, who is known as Abu Mohammed, a pseudonym he chose to protect his identity because of the illegal nature of his work and the fact that he is wanted by Interpol, he said. |
| Abu Mohammed, a charismatic former heart surgeon’s assistant, is now a crucial operative in a sprawling migrant smuggling operation based in Turkey that has grown by the year as the Syrian civil war grinds on. He makes about $500 per passenger by organizing large cargo ships supplied by Syrian businessmen to transport other Syrians to Europe. He works with three partners in Turkey and said they had transferred thousands of Syrians to Europe over the past four months. | Abu Mohammed, a charismatic former heart surgeon’s assistant, is now a crucial operative in a sprawling migrant smuggling operation based in Turkey that has grown by the year as the Syrian civil war grinds on. He makes about $500 per passenger by organizing large cargo ships supplied by Syrian businessmen to transport other Syrians to Europe. He works with three partners in Turkey and said they had transferred thousands of Syrians to Europe over the past four months. |
| Despite the lucrative nature of his business, he insisted that he and his associates were motivated by a desire to help his fellow Syrians, even placing some of their own relatives on ships bound for Europe. Abu Mohammed said he made sure the ships were seaworthy. And for a reporter who spent a week observing his operations, he appeared more cautious than other traffickers, refusing to let small boats go out to the container ships when conditions were dangerous. | Despite the lucrative nature of his business, he insisted that he and his associates were motivated by a desire to help his fellow Syrians, even placing some of their own relatives on ships bound for Europe. Abu Mohammed said he made sure the ships were seaworthy. And for a reporter who spent a week observing his operations, he appeared more cautious than other traffickers, refusing to let small boats go out to the container ships when conditions were dangerous. |
| “A lot of the traffickers here are Syrian and we all fear God,” he said. “On each ship there is an extended family member or a mother, or a child. We don’t want to send people to their death.” | “A lot of the traffickers here are Syrian and we all fear God,” he said. “On each ship there is an extended family member or a mother, or a child. We don’t want to send people to their death.” |
| More than three million Syrians have fled their country’s civil war over the last four years, and experts have called it the largest mass migration since the end of World War II. Most of the refugees have fled to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, countries that have struggled to cope with the demands of so many newcomers. As the war continues with no end in sight, an increasing number of refugees are turning to human smuggling operations as a way to reach Europe. | More than three million Syrians have fled their country’s civil war over the last four years, and experts have called it the largest mass migration since the end of World War II. Most of the refugees have fled to Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, countries that have struggled to cope with the demands of so many newcomers. As the war continues with no end in sight, an increasing number of refugees are turning to human smuggling operations as a way to reach Europe. |
| The European Union has criticized Turkey for not doing enough to crack down on the smuggling. The issue has taken on new importance in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, as European officials worried about their own citizens, who were joining militant groups in Syria and Iraq and returning home among groups of refugees to carry out attacks. Abu Mohammed said that he did not allow militants onboard his ships and that he required references from all potential passengers. | The European Union has criticized Turkey for not doing enough to crack down on the smuggling. The issue has taken on new importance in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris, as European officials worried about their own citizens, who were joining militant groups in Syria and Iraq and returning home among groups of refugees to carry out attacks. Abu Mohammed said that he did not allow militants onboard his ships and that he required references from all potential passengers. |
| Last year, 200,000 migrants — over half of them from Syria and Eritrea — arrived in Europe, up from 63,000 in 2013, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Thousands died as they tried to cross the Mediterranean on decrepit boats supplied by smugglers. Abu Mohammed said that none of the ships he runs had suffered any casualties. It was not possible to verify his assertion, but former passengers said they chose him because he had a reputation for taking care of refugees and getting them safely to Europe. | |
| In recent months, smugglers have begun loading migrants into steel-hulled cargo ships from locations that can be reached relatively easily from Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coastline. The smugglers then set them on a course for Europe and abandon them, confident that European coast guards will feel morally and legally bound to rescue the huge ships. The ships are more seaworthy than the rickety small boats previously favored by the traffickers, but it is still a dangerous passage for the migrants. | In recent months, smugglers have begun loading migrants into steel-hulled cargo ships from locations that can be reached relatively easily from Turkey’s eastern Mediterranean coastline. The smugglers then set them on a course for Europe and abandon them, confident that European coast guards will feel morally and legally bound to rescue the huge ships. The ships are more seaworthy than the rickety small boats previously favored by the traffickers, but it is still a dangerous passage for the migrants. |
| Tactics employed by the smugglers to mobilize search-and-rescue operations include throwing motors overboard and allowing ships to run out of fuel. Last month, two battered freighters carrying almost 1,000 migrants were abandoned by their crews during a storm and were rescued by vessels operating under a European Union mission called Triton before they could hit the Italian coastline. | Tactics employed by the smugglers to mobilize search-and-rescue operations include throwing motors overboard and allowing ships to run out of fuel. Last month, two battered freighters carrying almost 1,000 migrants were abandoned by their crews during a storm and were rescued by vessels operating under a European Union mission called Triton before they could hit the Italian coastline. |
| Some of Abu Mohammed’s passengers said he had a reputation for using less risky tactics for getting the ships rescued. His crews often just turn off the motor and send out emergency signals. The more dangerous side of the operation, according to Abu Mohammed, is transferring the refugees from the Turkish coast to international waters. | Some of Abu Mohammed’s passengers said he had a reputation for using less risky tactics for getting the ships rescued. His crews often just turn off the motor and send out emergency signals. The more dangerous side of the operation, according to Abu Mohammed, is transferring the refugees from the Turkish coast to international waters. |
| These days, Abu Mohammed dispatches his customers from the secluded coves around Side, a small coastal resort town. On a recent evening, with the help of his Turkish partners, who provide small fishing boats, he managed to get about 200 Syrian refugees, many of whom had been staying in hotels and resorts, to a repurposed cargo ship in international waters, about 35 miles from the shore. There, they waited for another group before setting off for Italy. | These days, Abu Mohammed dispatches his customers from the secluded coves around Side, a small coastal resort town. On a recent evening, with the help of his Turkish partners, who provide small fishing boats, he managed to get about 200 Syrian refugees, many of whom had been staying in hotels and resorts, to a repurposed cargo ship in international waters, about 35 miles from the shore. There, they waited for another group before setting off for Italy. |
| One of the refugees, Mohammed al-Nasir, 24, waited with his cousin and another passenger before boarding one of the small boats. He had spent the past year in Istanbul, working as a cleaner, but he managed to save enough for the trip. The prices for the trips are high, and many of the mostly middle-class Syrians have to sell their houses and possessions to buy tickets. | One of the refugees, Mohammed al-Nasir, 24, waited with his cousin and another passenger before boarding one of the small boats. He had spent the past year in Istanbul, working as a cleaner, but he managed to save enough for the trip. The prices for the trips are high, and many of the mostly middle-class Syrians have to sell their houses and possessions to buy tickets. |
| “With everything we have seen and been through, we are prepared to sacrifice everything just to get to a better place,” said Mr. Nasir, who had been sleeping in restaurants and buses for more than a week waiting to get on the ship. “We are indifferent to safety on the sea because we face a bigger risk of death at home. We just want to get there now.” | “With everything we have seen and been through, we are prepared to sacrifice everything just to get to a better place,” said Mr. Nasir, who had been sleeping in restaurants and buses for more than a week waiting to get on the ship. “We are indifferent to safety on the sea because we face a bigger risk of death at home. We just want to get there now.” |
| The flow of refugees like Mr. Nasir into Turkey has accelerated in recent months as the scope of European efforts to target traffickers and rescue migrants has been scaled back. In October, an Italian search-and-rescue initiative called Mare Nostrum was replaced by the European Union-led Triton mission, which has a more limited mandate and finances. The Italian mission ran patrols along the Libyan coast, forcing many trips to abort before they could reach Europe and rescuing up to 100,000 migrants in one year. | The flow of refugees like Mr. Nasir into Turkey has accelerated in recent months as the scope of European efforts to target traffickers and rescue migrants has been scaled back. In October, an Italian search-and-rescue initiative called Mare Nostrum was replaced by the European Union-led Triton mission, which has a more limited mandate and finances. The Italian mission ran patrols along the Libyan coast, forcing many trips to abort before they could reach Europe and rescuing up to 100,000 migrants in one year. |
| Turkey has become a new hub for smugglers, many of whom operate out of Mersin, a major port city on the southeastern Mediterranean coast. Smugglers employ brokers to find customers in Turkish cities where there are large refugee populations; the refugees then make their way to ports like Mersin and wait for their passage to Europe. | Turkey has become a new hub for smugglers, many of whom operate out of Mersin, a major port city on the southeastern Mediterranean coast. Smugglers employ brokers to find customers in Turkish cities where there are large refugee populations; the refugees then make their way to ports like Mersin and wait for their passage to Europe. |
| Social media platforms are also widely used to advertise the services of traffickers. Smugglers post colorful advertisements with pictures of famous European sights on Facebook. “Trips from Mersin to Italy: $5,000 per person,” read one post with a backdrop of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. “Cargo ship” was printed on a small banner below. Migrants also use Facebook groups to vet the best smugglers, sharing phone numbers and comparing prices, which run from $4,000 to $6,000 per person. | Social media platforms are also widely used to advertise the services of traffickers. Smugglers post colorful advertisements with pictures of famous European sights on Facebook. “Trips from Mersin to Italy: $5,000 per person,” read one post with a backdrop of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. “Cargo ship” was printed on a small banner below. Migrants also use Facebook groups to vet the best smugglers, sharing phone numbers and comparing prices, which run from $4,000 to $6,000 per person. |
| The increased activity in Turkish ports like Mersin has caught the attention of the authorities, and in recent weeks Mr. Mohammed and other smugglers have reported seeing stepped up patrols by the Turkish coast guard and inspections of the small boats used to ferry migrants out to the container ships. The increased vigilance came after the European Commission questioned Turkey last month about the steady stream of cargo ships coming from the area around Mersin. | The increased activity in Turkish ports like Mersin has caught the attention of the authorities, and in recent weeks Mr. Mohammed and other smugglers have reported seeing stepped up patrols by the Turkish coast guard and inspections of the small boats used to ferry migrants out to the container ships. The increased vigilance came after the European Commission questioned Turkey last month about the steady stream of cargo ships coming from the area around Mersin. |
| Turkey, for its part, said that it had been overwhelmed by refugee arrivals and that stopping the flow of migrants was impossible. | Turkey, for its part, said that it had been overwhelmed by refugee arrivals and that stopping the flow of migrants was impossible. |
| “We have taken in nearly two million Syrian refugees while Europe has taken in a bare minimum,” said a government official, speaking on the condition of anonymity under government protocol. “It’s only natural that the refugees seek illegal routes to get there.” | |
| “We do everything in our capacity to try and stop them, but the numbers are so vast now that it is impossible to monitor all smuggling activity,” he added. | “We do everything in our capacity to try and stop them, but the numbers are so vast now that it is impossible to monitor all smuggling activity,” he added. |
| In Mersin, Abu Mohammed sits in his home and fields phone calls from passengers who have made it to Italy. For one call, he puts the phone on loudspeaker and smiles as a man thanks him for getting his family to Italy. | In Mersin, Abu Mohammed sits in his home and fields phone calls from passengers who have made it to Italy. For one call, he puts the phone on loudspeaker and smiles as a man thanks him for getting his family to Italy. |
| “People have grown to trust me,” he said. | “People have grown to trust me,” he said. |