by Maximiliano Crocamo
Interview: Eddi Stolf, head of the Trieste Border Police
Italian authorities say nearly one arrest every two days has been made along the border with Slovenia since the government reinstated frontier checks in October 2023.
Data released by the Trieste Border Police this week show 365 arrests, about half tied to migrant smuggling and the rest to crimes including homicide, robbery, theft and drug trafficking. Officers have also seized contraband cigarettes, stolen cars and, in some cases, weapons.
The border force reported intercepting 4,787 migrants over the same period, many traveling along the Balkan route from countries such as Turkey, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Syria and Afghanistan. Nearly 1,700 were formally turned back at the frontier, while joint Italian-Slovenian patrols detected another 1,461, most on Slovenian territory.
Officials described the smuggling networks as highly organized, charging migrants between €3,000 and €4,000 to reach Italy, often in overcrowded vehicles. Most, they said, intend to continue on to northern Europe.
Eddi Stolf, head of the Trieste Border Police, said the results would not have been possible without close cooperation with European counterparts and intelligence sharing across borders.
