BELGRADE: Serbian police uncovered 200 illegal migrants near the border with Hungary and seized weapons and ammunition used by traffickers, an Interior Ministry official said on Tuesday.

The raid involving around 800 police officers was launched in the early morning hours near the northern Serbian city of Subotica, police said.

Police detained 200 migrants and seized weapons, ammunition and handheld radios, said Ivica Ivkovic, head of the Interior Ministry’s police department.

“Results are quite good. A considerable amount of ammunition and weapons were found - eight automatic rifles, one carbine, two pistols ... and 13 radio devices,” Ivkovic said in a TV broadcast.

The Western Balkans route via Turkiye, Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Serbia remains the main migratory path into the European Union.

Many migrants are crossing borders using elaborate networks of smugglers who are sometimes armed and shootouts between criminal groups are frequent.

Serbia, Hungary and Austria maintain joint border patrols and Belgrade has pledged to align its visa policies with those of the EU to stem the flow of illegal migrants to the west through the Western Balkans.

Published in Dawn, Aug 2nd, 2023