Serbia nabs 74 Afghan, Pakistani EU-bound migrants

BELGRADE: Serbian police said Tuesday they have detained 74 Afghan and Pakistani migrants and arrested two Serbian citizens who tried to organise their illegal entry into European Union countries.

The migrants -- 65 Afghan and nine Pakistani nationals -- illegally entered Serbia from Macedonia before the police found them in a truck trailer near Belgrade overnight Monday, the interior ministry said in a statement.

The two Serbians will appear before a magistrate on preliminary charges of illegal human trafficking, it added.

Serbia lies on the so-called Balkans route often used by criminals to smuggle people, drugs and weapons into the European Union. (AFP)