Brussels, 19/05/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 19 May, following a 12-month investigation, Czech and French police, with the support of Europol, arrested 12 people in France and six in the Czech Republic, suspected of belonging to a ring smuggling people illegally into the EU, Europol, the police cooperation agency has announced. The majority of those arrested were of Vietnamese origin but some Czech nationals were also arrested. Several illegal immigrants from Vietnam were found during the house searches. In addition to a sum of money (€10,000), financial records linked to the smuggling cases were found. The cost of the journey for the illegal immigrants was €10,000. Various routes were used by the immigrants, such as flights from Vietnam to airports in Moscow or Vienna. The immigrants were then transported onwards over land, hidden in trucks, to the Czech Republic. Another route involved flights into Romania and Bulgaria and then onwards via trucks or cars to the Czech Republic and from there by car to France. Once in France, the immigrants were placed in temporary safe houses. According to reports from some of the smuggled immigrants, the UK, in particular, is considered a dream destination by the Vietnamese. (B.C./transl.rt)